The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, OSOPADEC, has announced plans to partner with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, through its Engineering Materials Development Institute, EMDI, on youth training, manpower development, and industrial growth across the Commission’s mandate areas.
Chairman of OSOPADEC, Prince Olabiyi Olaleye Poroye, disclosed this during an official visit to the EMDI office in Akure, where he commended the Institute’s engineering innovations and locally developed technologies.
Poroye said the visit exposed the Commission to several opportunities that align with the industrialisation and empowerment agenda of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, especially for youths and women in the oil-producing communities of Ondo State.
According to him, the quality of products and technologies developed by EMDI proves that Nigeria has the capacity to manufacture standard engineering products locally without relying heavily on imported alternatives.
“What we have seen here today proves that Nigeria has the capacity to produce quality engineering products locally without overdependence on foreign goods,” Poroye said.
“The quality and standard of EMDI products clearly show that Nigerians do not need to travel abroad before accessing world-class innovations and services.”
He explained that OSOPADEC is now looking at strategic collaboration with the Institute in areas such as technical training, investment opportunities, capacity building, and professional development through relevant departments of the Commission.
Poroye also said the Commission remains committed to reducing poverty and unemployment in the riverine communities through sustainable empowerment programmes and economic opportunities.
“We have a clear mandate from Mr. Governor to put smiles on the faces of people in our mandate areas through meaningful development, empowerment, and economic opportunities,” he said.
“Beyond infrastructural projects, OSOPADEC is committed to building human capacity and creating sustainable livelihoods.”
He added that Ondo State’s push for industrial development, particularly in the coastal areas, would require partnerships with institutions like EMDI to provide the needed technical manpower and professional training.
Earlier, the Overseeing Officer of EMDI Akure Office, Mrs. Yusuf Fausat Olumide, said the Institute has the expertise and production capacity to manufacture several engineering products currently being imported into Nigeria.
She noted that supporting locally produced engineering materials would reduce pressure on foreign exchange while strengthening Nigeria’s industrial sector.
Also speaking, the Director of Finishing at the Institute, Engr. Abdulaziz, showcased some of EMDI’s innovations, including agro-processing machines, organic fertiliser plants, eco-friendly stoves, charging bay systems, and other advanced manufacturing technologies.
He said the Institute has a team of locally and internationally trained scientists and engineers capable of training youths and professionals in engineering, ICT, Artificial Intelligence, manufacturing technology, data analysis, web development, casting, heat treatment, and industrial machine operations, including plasma cutting equipment.
