Vice President, Namadi Sambo, has stated that the acquisition and use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes is an important element in any nation’s path towards economic, scientific and technological development and that, is the nation’s ambition with the on-going plans for nuclear energy.
The Vice President stated this, in his address at the commissioning of the Researchers’ Hostel and Conference Centre built by the National Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), at the Nuclear Technology Centre, Sheda in Abuja.
According to the Vice-President, apart from the generation of electricity, nuclear energy can be used in agriculture and food security, human health and medicine.
He also noted that the application of nuclear energy can also be useful for water resources management, basic and applied scientific research.
“The decision to introduce nuclear power into our energy mix was made after lengthy and meticulous process, which involved the use of analytical and planning tools with the cooperation and assistance of the International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA).”
Noting the challenges associated with nuclear power generation, the Vice President charged NAEC to evolve mechanisms that will ensure its safe use when eventually deployed in the country saying “as a matter of priority, NAEC must also develop and implement appropriate mechanisms to assess, national, regional and international nuclear emergency preparedness and response capabilities.”
Earlier the chairman of NAEC, Dr. Franklin Osaisai stated that within the last six years since the creation of the commission, a national nuclear power road map has been developed to strategise the country’s power capacity.
He also disclosed that the commission is building and strengthening central national facilities to develop the nation’s institutional capacity to achieve the set goals.
The three- winged one story building, constructed at the cost of N650 million, comprises of auditorium, classes, conference rooms, library as well as nuclear power reactor simulators among others.
Present at the occasion was the Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, and other top government functionaries.
