Jinx of about 20 years was broken penultimate week by the Senate for the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) as regards required 1% allocation from the Federation Account. Taiye Odewale reports.
Historical journey
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) was established in 1992 by the federal government of Nigeria based on recommendations made to that effect by 150-member committee set up for its establishment.
Professor Mohammed Sani Haruna is the current Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of the Agency headquartered in Abuja.
The mandate of NASENI is specifically in the area of capital goods, research, production and reverse engineering. NASENI, by its mandate and scope of operation is the Nigerian only purpose built Agency designed to conduct developmental work in the areas of manufacturing and as such, it is capable of coordinating the proliferation of technologies developed either within or outside of its Centers including patents obtained.
The mission of NASENI is to establish and nurture appropriate and dynamic Science and Engineering Infrastructure-base for achieving home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization through the development of relevant processes, capital goods and equipment necessary for job creation, national economic well-being and progress.
Accordingly, a vision is, therefore, set to create an enabling knowledge-driven environment for local mass-production of standard parts, goods and services required for the Nation’s Technology Advancement.
Failed mandate
But most of all the above stated mandates, mission and Vision of the scientific and engineering infrastructural outfit have not been achieved over the years, largely due to non-implementation of the 2004 Act of parliament empowering it to be drawing one percent allocation from federation account on monthly basis.
The violation of its extant law by successive governments was however brought to the attention of the Senate through its joint committee on Finance and National Planning penultimate week.
The committee decision, which was based on resolution of the Senate, was carrying out interactive sessions with heads of various federal government owned Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs), on revenues projections of the agencies for the N12.6trillion 2021 budget proposal; was stunned when told by Professor Haruna that the NASENI is incapacitated as far as revenue generation was concerned.
The NASENI Boss in his submissions, lamented that the agency had never received one percent remittance from the federation account as provided for by the 2004 National Assembly Acts.
1% allocation
The Act according to him, stipulates that NASENI shall draw from the federation account, one percent revenue accruing to the Federal Treasury beginning from year 2000 but the agency had never received a kobo from the federation account as stipulated by the aw
“The Act has specified that at the inception NASENI was entitled to one percent of what accrued to the federation account, as they are allocating funds to states, to NDDC and others NASENI should get its own one percent which was to be increased to 2 percent in 2002, according to the law passed by the National Assembly.
“The second source of funds we ought to have been getting is industrial levy. Because NASENI is to facilitate the industrial development of the country, it makes sense to collect levy from industries operating in the country. We develop technology and we give to them free because they are paying levy for its development.
“Again we ought to have been getting assistance from specialized areas that were to come in future like ecological fund, TETFUND, lottery fund, and even R&D fund that companies should have been paying…NASENI has given birth to several organizations that are now millions of naira richer than us.
“Thus, the agency is somewhat incapacitated in terms of revenue generation due to denial of funds for its operations but has just been surviving on budgetary subventions with attendant frustration of industrilization plans for the country.
“The aims for the establishment of NASENI have not been achieved due to the afore stated reasons, but the agency has maximised the little material resources it had and turned over a lot of R&D and finished products and we have been able to survive up to this moment.
“In fact, we are the only agency of government that has put tangible products in the desirable areas of the economy and in the hands of the common man”, he lamented.
1% must be disbursed forthwith
Moved by the lamentation, the joint committee led by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC Lagos West), ordered the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris, to from September this year, commence the disbursement of 1% allocation from the federation account into the covers for NASENI.
“The Act setting up NASENI was the Act of the National Assembly and the Accountant General of the Federation could not be allowed to flout the law.
“Therefore, since the AGF is here, please ensure that the executive starts implementation of the law from September this year because NASENI has potentials to develop and industrialise the Nigerian economy through the core mandates given to it by the extant laws”, he said.
Apparently happy with the development, NASENI boss in an interview with journalists after the session declared that if the Senate’s directive is abide with through remittance of 1% revenue allocation to the agency from federation Account, it will fast track scientific and technological development in the country.
