By; BUHARI SA’ADU DAURA
A heartfelt tribute to His Excellency Alhaji Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who made an extraordinary decision by selecting an exceptional leader as the Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.
The EVC/CEO of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, is an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. He possesses an unwavering spirit and an inexhaustible energy that make him an outstanding leader. It seems as though he was born with a powerful drive to succeed, and this drive is evident in everything he does.
His dedication to NASENI is unparalleled, and he approaches each day with the same determination and passion as he did when he first started. His work ethic is an intrinsic part of him, like his ribs, kidneys, liver, and heart. It’s not surprising that he has achieved so much, and the staff of the Agency are fortunate to have such a driven and inspiring leader at the helm.
Your Excellency Sir, you have made an excellent decision by choosing a selfless leader for NASENI. This is a leader who always leads by example, a versatile initiator, an intellectual of a rare breed, and an icon whom Nigerian youth look up to.
In less than a month in office, Mr. Halilu mapped out several projects and designed clear paths and means of actualizing them. He signed many memoranda of understanding both at home and abroad for the betterment of Nigerians and also provided the staff of the Agency with a welfare package through which they shall find succour and enjoy the fruits of their labour.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI has made it his mission to transform the agency into a powerhouse of science, technology, and innovation.
Since his appointment, he has been unwavering in his commitment to building a cutting-edge institution that is founded on collaboration, creation, and commercialization. With his bold reforms, he has paved the way for NASENI to become a modern science and engineering organization that is primed for success in the 21st century. Now, there is rapid collaboration, rapid innovation, local materials leverage, and commercialization.
Your Excellency, Sir, within the first 100 days of Mr. Halilu in office as the EVC/CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, he achieved what other CEOs could not achieve in 100 years. He has demonstrated that leadership is not solely determined by age, but by experience encapsulated in strategically defined vision, well-directed proactiveness, and collectivity.
Mr Halilu achieved several milestones in two months. To mention but a few, he signed six landmark MOUs worth $2 billion with Chinese companies, which led to over 50 global companies interested in collaborating with NASENI. At COP-28, NASENI and REA sealed a $150M lithium battery manufacturing deal with a Chinese investor.
Additionally, the Delta-2 Program was initiated as a bilateral collaboration between Nigeria and the Czech Republic, where the partnership between NASENI and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TACR) was poised to fund innovative projects across the 3 focal areas of Agriculture, Mining and SME development, and for every one Naira that NASENI will be investing to support these projects, it expects to see six Naira in commercial returns. However, Mr Haliru signed a production license agreement with SAPUTRA Global Harvest, an Indonesian company, for the establishment of a coal-based fertilizer manufacturing factory in Nigeria as Food Security is one of the priority areas on your Renewed Hope agenda, Your Excellency.
Also, he signed a Production License Agreement with PT Saputra Global Harvest, for the establishment of a Coal-based Fertilizer factory in Nigeria.
The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO actively participated in various media programs and interviews. During his appearance on the Good Morning Nigeria show at NTA News, he discussed the importance of “Homegrown Technology Towards Nigeria’s Development”. Furthermore, he spoke about the role of NASENI in an interview with BBC Hausa. Additionally, he hosted numerous organizations and expressed NASENI’s willingness to utilize and leverage home-grown e-commerce platforms for marketing the agency’s finished products.
On behalf of Nigerians, I express our gratitude to you, Mr President, for selecting Mr Haliru for the esteemed position of Executive Vice Chairman of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure. Your decision is highly appreciated and we are certain that Mr. Haliru’s leadership will prove to be invaluable to the agency. We have full confidence in his abilities and we look forward to witnessing more of his remarkable contributions to the growth and development of homegrown products. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the betterment of our country.
Buhari Sa’adu Daura can be reached via,
Jagabanmatasa@gmail.com
