From Francis Nansak ,Lafia
The Nasarawa State Relevant Technology Board has considered diversifying from its core mandate of engaging youths on vocational training to manufacturing in order to generate revenue for the state.
The General Manager of the board, Dr. Idris Umar Idris made the revelation on Monday in his office in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, in an interaction with some journalists.
According to him, the drive to diversify was to key into the current administration’s policy of industrialisation for better revenue generation.
Dr. Idris further revealed that the state Relevant Technology Board has manufactured a ventilator that has gone through first and second certification testing by the state ministry of health.
“We are only waiting for the third and final certification testing of the equipment, we are expecting a team from the federal ministry of health before it will be fully launched for operation.
“The board considered taking to manufacturing because we considered it operative to use our skills ,which should not be restricted to training alone in order to generate revenue as well as create more jobs opportunity to our teeming youths in the state, he added.
He explained that at the moment the board is handling the manufacturing of furniture for most of the public institutions, especially for schools, which has cut cost in government expenditures as against the previous years.
Idris pointed out that in most of the state public establishments, the board manufactured and supplied hand sanitizers, facemask and that the team of technicians are working on inventing a body temperature thermometer.
The GM thanked Gov Abdullahi Sule for giving the needed support to the board and financing it which has taken the board to limelight, far away from neglect and an unproductive establishment.
