Unemployed Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief as an industrial blueprint that can create 5 million new jobs annually has been developed by the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Prof. Gloria Elemo, its Director-General, claims. The blueprint was made in such a way that it would stimulate economic activities in all the local government areas in the country through value addition to raw materials of relative advantage in the nation’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“We have carried out a comprehensive survey on raw materials of relative abundance in all the 774 LGAs in Nigeria; we have identified FIIRO technologies that are suitable for processing the raw materials for establishment of micro, small, medium and large enterprises.” Elemo said while explaining how the Institute could create 5 million new jobs annually. She said this during the House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and Technology paid an official visit to the institute.
Through collaboration with other stakeholders like the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Fabricators Association of Nigeria (AMEFAN), National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise (NASME), National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Elemo said the institute would contribute meaningfully to the Change program of the Buhari administration.
Reacting to the DG’s claim, Ms Beni Lar, the Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Science and Technology, commended the institute for the technological advancements it has brought to the country. She also restated the Government’s determination for the institute to receive the needed support saying “We will make sure important institutions like FIIRO work; we are aware that FIIRO is boosting the conversion of largely available local raw materials in the country and creating job opportunities. That is why since 2015, budgetary allocation to it has improved by about 50 per cent and we are willing to do more, given the available resources”
