Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for the localization of global technologies to create lasting Nigerian solutions for Nigerian challenges, while decrying the country’s poor maintenance culture that has left over 26,000 serviceable heavy-duty equipment idle.
Speaking on Sunday at the launch of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Asset Restoration Programme in Maiduguri, Shettima emphasized the need to harness local innovation to ensure the nation’s stability and progress.
He highlighted the scale of the problem, revealing that Nigeria has nearly 500,000 component scraps that could be restored or repurposed, yet only 7,000 to 12,000 functional tractors out of a need for 2.4 million units to meet agricultural targets over the next decade.
“For too long, Nigeria has been profiled as a nation with poor maintenance culture,” Shettima said. “Enough of investing in projects that get abandoned. Enough of allowing critical assets to waste while we continue budgeting for the same problems. The NASENI Asset Restoration Programme marks a significant shift in how we think about value and sustainability.”
He praised NASENI for spearheading the initiative, noting its capacity to serve as a hub for technology transfer and homegrown engineering. “This programme perfectly aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of building a productive, self-reliant, and diversified economy,” Shettima added. “We must support NASENI’s mission to localize global technologies and drive innovation.”
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, echoed these sentiments, describing the programme as a response to a long-standing national dilemma. “NASENI has shown its capability as a technology transfer nerve centre,” he said, urging support for the agency’s efforts.
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, revealed that Nigeria holds over 47,000 broken-down but serviceable agricultural and law enforcement assets, with replacement costs exceeding ₦14 trillion. “Today marks not just the launch of a programme, but the ignition of a national movement built on possibility, practicality, and partnership,” he said.
Halilu stressed that NASENI’s mission is to keep innovation at the heart of governance by building local capacity and enabling large-scale technology transfer. “We are turning NASENI into a true national enabler—quietly but boldly proving that government can deliver and that transformation is possible,” he stated.
The event concluded with Halilu expressing gratitude to President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, Governor Zulum, and NASENI’s implementation partner, MECA, for their support in launching the first phase of this national restoration initiative.
