Oscarline Onwuemenyi
12 August 2016, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, NAEC, has signed an agreement with the University of Abuja on building capacity for developing nuclear energy for peaceful applications.
The Managing Director of NAEC, Dr. Erepamo Osaisai, said that the long-term agreement “is for developing human resources in nuclear technology development.”
Osaisai explained that the University of Abuja is the sixth educational institution that has a similar agreement with NAEC to train students and grow capacity in nuclear technology development.
The five institutions drawn from each geopolitical zone include Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Osun State, South-west, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State, North-west and University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State, North-East.
Others are the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South-south and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, in South-east.
NAEC chose Itu in Akwa Ibom State and Geregu in Kogi State last year as the sites for its planned phase one nuclear power plants projected to generate about 4,000mw by 2025.
NAEC’s own Nuclear Technology Centre (NTC) would be affiliated to the university where its facilities would be used for students training and research.
According to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Michael Amalie Adikwu, “We have an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology that we can use the facilities in the 17 agencies. We will set up a committee to follow up the MoUs.”
