NASENI Empowers 250 Indigenes Of Ohafia, Abia State With NASENI Cookstoves, Home Solar Solutions, More

By Ezeh Anya Ezeh, Bureau Chief, South East, Nigeria

Not less than two hundred and fifty (250) indigenes of Asaga, Ohafia in Abia State, south east, Nigeria, benefited from the on-going National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP), which took place on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in the state.

This is according to a press statement e-signed by the Director of Information at  NASENI, Olusegun Ayeoyenikan.

Per the statement, NASENI through NSEP is providing relevant skills, tools and renewable technologies including NASENI Home Solar Solutions (solar fan, panel, power bank), Cookstoves, etc. that would help beneficiaries become more productive, build sustainable livelihoods and participate meaningfully in the growing innovation-driven economy.

In his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu. said that the Agency’s presence in Abia State was particularly significant as Abia had long been recognised for its enterprise, creativity, manufacturing culture and the determination of its people to create value.

While appreciating the beneficiaries and everyone present at the flag-off ceremony for their patience and understanding, Mr. Halilu noted that NASENI’s mandate was ultimately about people.  Said he: “We believe that science, technology and engineering must move beyond laboratories and institutions and translate into practical solutions that improve livelihoods, create opportunities and strengthen communities. That is the thinking behind NSEP.”

He added, “Through this programme, we are taking NASENI directly to Nigerians, providing relevant skills, tools and technologies that can help people become more productive, build sustainable livelihoods and participate meaningfully in Nigeria’s growing innovation-driven economy. Our presence here in Abia State is particularly significant.

“Abia has long been recognised for its enterprise, creativity, manufacturing culture and the determination of its people to create value. These qualities strongly align with the new NASENI we are building: an institution focused on Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation. Under our strategic direction, we are moving from research for its own sake to solutions that people can use, businesses can adopt and industries can scale.”

According to him, NSEP was an important part of that journey as innovation only became meaningful when its impacted reaches the people. “To our beneficiaries, the support you receive today is not simply a handout. It is an opportunity and an investment in your productive capacity. We expect you to put it to work, create value from it, improve your livelihoods and, where possible, create opportunities for others. We are also committed to measuring the impact of these interventions,” he said.

He, however, emphasized that for NASENI, success was not simply the number of programmes organised or items distributed, but believed that success was the number of lives improved, businesses strengthened, jobs supported and communities made more productive.

In his goodwill message, the Managing Director, Ministry of Finance Incorporated) MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang, appreciated NASENI for bringing NSEP to his hometown, adding that the programme was an assurance that the current administration was doing everything possible to ensure that Nigerians felt the impact of good governance, created job opportunities and were self-reliant.

He, however, called for further relationship with NASENI to enable the collaboration which, according to him, had started with the flag-off ceremony of NSEP in Ohafia, to enable the youth from Abia state improve more on the potentials they already had.