The Federal Government says synergy among composites stakeholders in the country is capable of yielding results to the nation’s academic status in aerospace and allied industries.
Mrs Monilola Udoh, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said th8s on Tuesday in Ilorin.
Udoh spoke at the National Composites Stakeholders’ Workshop, themed:” Effective Applications of Composites in Aerospace and Allied Industries in Nigeria”.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by Mr Patrick Oguma, of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said that the collaboration can also contribute to the body of knowledge capable to demonstrate visible products for patenting and commercialisation.
She added that there is need for more funding concerning composite development in the country.
Dr Kayode Odimayomi, the National Coordinator, Advanced Space Composite Laboratory (ASCOLab), located in the University of Ilorin, explained that composite are the combination of different materials mixed under a defined ratio and temperature to stand the test of time, like reinforcement by polymer or binder.
He explained that in the olden days, mud and straw are composites in building houses when mixed together, adding that nowadays, skyscrapers are built using steel, cement and granite.
According to him, research and development in composite had been domiciled in the academia before now, added that recent involvement of private sector had led to efforts in automobile and aircraft development.
“Recently the private sector has picked interest in it and doing well, mostly in automobile and aircraft development.
“With the setting up of this ASCOlaboratory, a merger of efforts of universities, polytechnics, private inventors and developers is achieved to form a national body that would be able to pursue a process and resourcing of different products in composite,” he said.
Odimayomi added that this is in a frontline of taking Nigeria away from consumers of engineering/technology products’, to key stakeholders in development, production of composite materials for aerospace, automobile, marine, biomedical and across general construction.
“With the professional body helping out in developing a national policy, and when there’s national policy, there’s a guideline and roadmap to which a room is created for all participants, be it academia, private or natural inventors taking it from experiment base to product level including mass production of composites,” he said.
The ASCOLab coordinator, therefore charged the federal government to help the country, and Nigerians to have a sustainable developed composite products through adequate funding of the laboratory.
He added that this is a rallying point for academia and private sector “to develop home use, orbit based and sky products of composite in all manner of areas of its able use, moreso since composite resists corrosion, oxidation and weather among others.
Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, urged all the Inter-Agency Network to reflect on how to capitalise on different perspectives and mandates to accelerate the achievement of relevant composite development and applications in the various arms of this country.
“In the yester years, our national attention has solely been on the importation of these services and these had delivered great negative impact on our economy.
“Recently, the ministry of science and technology, led by Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, under the leadership of President Muhammdu Buhari, has placed more emphasis on local content development,” he said.
He therefore advised all stakeholders to use the workshop to share and exchange experiences, and at the same time candidly question our methods of work and the yardsticks used to measure success.
(NAN)
