The Minister of Science Technology, Communications Technology and Minister of State for Aviation, Messrs. Ogbonnaya Onu, Adebayo Shittu and Hadi Sirika over the weekend, arrived China to seek ways of strengthening the country’s economy through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow and transfer of technology for their various ministries and parastatals.
The three ministers traveled with just a handful of their aides according to government’s directive that foreign trips must no longer be composed of bloated officials. None of the minister’s media assistants traveled with their principals, THISDAY checks revealed.
Speaking shortly before the trip to China, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Sunny Onyeukwu, hinted that his boss was accompanied on the tour by the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Prof. Seidu Mohammed and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
According to him, the minister would visit facilities at the China Academy of Space technology and the China Space Corporation in Beijing. Before moving to Indonesia, Onyeukwu added that Onu would visit the launch site as well as witness the launch of Chinese satellite in Xichange.
According to the SA, the main purpose of the visit platform is to hold discussion with leading Chinese and Indonesia businessmen in an effort to attract the much needed foreign direct investment expected to drive the science technology and innovator sector of the Buhari administration, adding that the discussion is expected to stimulate growth in the science and technology sector.
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Onu is also expected to during the trip to meet with Nigerians in the Diaspora in the Asian on efforts being made by the present administration to reposition and strengthen science and technology in the country as a way to encourage them to invest in countries development process.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Communications Technology, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, also acknowledged that the China trip would no doubt attract some FDI, adding that the trip was necessitated by the launch of the Belarus space programme by both China with Nigeria through the Nigerian Communications Satellite limited (NIGCOMSAT), providing the carrier spectrum management and in-orbit test support. The minister (Shittu) went on the trip without space experts from the agency.
Like his counterpart in Science Technology, Shittu is also scheduled to visit Xichang, where he is expected to meet with leading telecommunications’ players in China. Shittu had his assumption of office expressed his determination in making the telecommunications sector a cash cow for the nation’s economy in view of its untapped potentials.
Though the first leg of the Minister of State for Aviation’s trip is to the United States of America, a senior official while speaking under anonymity said he is expected in China to discuss further engagement on the ongoing work at the five international terminals being built by the Chinese Construction Company Group (CCCG) with a loan of $500 million from the China Exim Bank.
On the trip with Sirika is the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Muhtar Usman and few ministerial officials. In the US, Sirika is expected to finalise talks on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) State Safety Programmes. The source explained that Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja 18 other airports including the privately the 18 privately-owned ones are yet to be fully certified by the ICAO.
