FUTA Gets New Chemical Laboratory from FG, Industry Partnership

The School of Physical Sciences of the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA now has a state-of-the-art chemical laboratory. The laboratory equipped with the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy, ICP-OES is the fruit of the Research Laboratory Upgrade

partnership between The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the donor PZ Cussons Nigeria limited.

Speaking at the commissioning of the equipment on Thursday July 18, 2024. the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji , who was represented by the Director General NOTAP, Dr. Obiageli Amadi- Obi said, ” In order to address the identified disconnect between industries and the National Innovation System (NIS) resulting in the absence of indigenous Research and Development results in numerous industries in Nigeria, NOTAP came up with the NOTAP- Industry partnership Initiative with a number of schemes in 2009″ which culminated in PZ Cussons donating the equipment to selected institution in the country including FUTA.

The minister said the initiatives were conceived to complement the efforts of the Ministry of Innovation Science and Technology in strengthening linkage with industry and provision of infrastructure in Research and Development establishments. The Research Laboratory Upgrade, according to him, is one of the schemes and it is aimed at providing state-of-the-art equipment to universities and Research institutes in order to have a sound research infrastructure to produce reliable and viable R&D results. He disclosed that PZ Cussons Nigeria limited has recently upgraded five laboratories at the cost of N100 Million each and FUTA is the seventh upgraded chemical laboratory and the first in the South West geo-political zone.

The Minister lauded PZ Cussons for being a reliable and strategic partner and called on other industries to key into the initiative. He also called on benefitting institutions to put the equipment into judicious use.

The Director Consultancy Services, NOTAP Mrs. Yejide Akinkunmi, who spoke for the DG NOTAP at the event said the project was midwifed in 2014 when PZ Cussons agreed to partner with NOTAP to support research in Chemical sciences and technology. Under this partnership PZ Cussons funded the upgrade of chemical laboratories of the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, University of Calabar, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Alex Ekwueme University of Technology, Ndufu, Ebonyi State. She said PZ Cussons is driven to upgrade more laboratories across more geo-political zones in the country having seen the impact of their investments in the upgraded laboratories through judicious use of the equipment for research and associated needs. . She commended the Management of PZ Cussons for the synergy and assured them that as a regulatory body, NOTAP will reciprocate the gesture within the ambits of the law.

In his remarks, the Managing Director/ CEO PZ Cussons Nigeria limited Mr. Dimitris Kostianis, represented by the Supply Chain Director, Africa, Engr. Ifeanyichukwu Abadom said ” the key to excellent research is the deployment of appropriate technologies. The collaboration between academia and industry is mandatory if we want to witness technological progress in Nigeria. We remain committed to the shared ideals of our commission and will continue to play our part towards the development of Nigeria”

Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji said the event “Celebrates the wonderful synergy between PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC and NOTAP as part of their corporate and social responsibilities to upgrade laboratories in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions.

Oladiji, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Taiwo Amos, assured the donors that the equipment will be maintained and kept in perfect working conditions and will be efficiently utilized for the be benefits of teaching, learning and research in FUTA.

According to a Professor of Chemistry in FUTA, Elvis Okoronkwo, ICP-OES is an analytical technique that is used to identify the atomic composition of a particular sample. “ICP-OES is used in the analysis of complex samples, and has been used in applications such as analyzing trace elements in the human brain, determining the chemical composition of electronic cigarettes, pesticide screening and assessing the purity of pharmaceutical compounds. The technique has also found routine utility in the analysis of drinking water, wine and petrochemicals. It can be said to have boundless potential applications. It can even detect non-metals which is a limitation of other techniques in use.,” Okoronkwo further stated.

He said the availability of the equipment will impact positively on research within the university as students and researchers will greatly benefit from it. Okoronkwo hinged the choice of FUTA by the partners on the pedigree and quality of research coming out of the university. According to him, “Because of the versatility of the equipment, the scope of research within the university will expand. It is expected that the provision of this equipment will further help the university improve further on its standing as a research intensive institution Nationally and globally.”