The Federal Government has extended its technology-driven empowerment and clean-energy intervention to Oyo State as part of efforts to improve livelihoods and promote economic self-reliance.
The intervention, implemented through the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, provided beneficiaries with renewable-energy solutions, livelihood support and other practical resources aimed at reducing living costs and improving productivity.
Speaking at the Oyo edition of the programme in Ibadan on Wednesday, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, represented by the Director, Information, New Media and Protocol Unit, Segun Ayeyeonikan, said the initiative was designed to ensure that technological development translated into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
Halilu said the agency’s mandate went beyond research and technology development, stressing the need to make innovations accessible to households, entrepreneurs and communities.
“This programme reflects a central conviction of the new NASENI: science, engineering and technology must deliver practical benefits that Nigerians can see, use and experience in their everyday lives,” he said.
He said the programme, implemented under the NASENI Solar Empowerment Programme, was providing beneficiaries with technologies, livelihood tools and practical support to address immediate needs while strengthening self-reliance.
The empowerment items distributed included NASENI Solar Home Systems, Clean Cookstoves and Support Packs.
According to Halilu, the clean cookstoves would provide safer and more efficient cooking options while helping households reduce fuel consumption, expenses and exposure to harmful smoke.
He added that the combined interventions were intended to reduce household costs, improve health and productivity, and enable beneficiaries to channel more resources into education and other productive activities.
“Our objective is not simply to distribute items. Meaningful empowerment must help people reduce costs, improve their productive capacity, earn income and exercise greater control over their economic future,” he said.
Halilu described Oyo as a state with a strong tradition of enterprise, agriculture, craftsmanship, education and commerce, making it a natural partner in NASENI’s efforts to bring technology closer to Nigerians.
He cited previous interventions in Onitsha, where 100 young people received five days of practical training in modern electrical installation and maintenance alongside tools to begin their careers.
He also mentioned the distribution of Solar Home Systems, Clean Cookstoves and Support Packs to households in Abatete, noting that similar interventions in Ohafia, Lagos and other locations had demonstrated the potential of technology to improve living conditions and expand economic opportunities.
The NASENI chief executive said the initiative was part of the agency’s contribution to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in the areas of job creation, economic inclusion, human capital development, clean energy and sustainable growth.
He also said the programme reflected NASENI’s principles of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation, known as the 3Cs.
“We create solutions to real problems, collaborate with public and private stakeholders to deliver them, and support their transformation into sustainable social and economic value,” he said.
Halilu appreciated the Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Sharafadeen Alli, for his support and partnership in making the programme possible.
He urged beneficiaries to use the items responsibly and productively, while ensuring that the benefits extended to their families and communities.
“Let it become a foundation for greater independence, stronger livelihoods and new opportunities,” he said.
Halilu said NASENI’s broader vision was to create a multiplier effect where individual empowerment strengthens households, productive households strengthen communities, and successful interventions contribute to wider economic progress.
“Our vision is to create a multiplier effect: one empowered person supporting a household, one productive household strengthening a community and one successful intervention inspiring broader economic progress,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that NASENI would continue working to make technological advancement a practical tool for improved livelihoods, job creation, industrial development and national prosperity.