The founder of Zeetin Engineering Limited, Azibaola Robert, has stated that sincerely embracing and deploying science and technology by Nigerians would facilitate and deepen the economic and infrastructural development of Nigeria.
Robert stated this when he hosted a delegation of the national executive of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), led by its president, Dr Elizabeth Eterigho, on Tuesday in Abuja.
“There are many things wrong with Nigeria’s technological advancement and until we sincerely embrace and deploy science and technology as the necessary tools to facilitate and deepen the economic and infrastructural development of Nigeria, we will not be able to develop and make progress as a country.
“But, for me, I want to do the technology; that’s why at Zeetin, we are buying machines to make machines,” Robert said.
A high-end tech entrepreneur recognised by engineers, Robert sued for collaboration among Nigerian engineers for the technological advancement of the country.
“Nigeria’s technological development can easily be fast-tracked, when our engineers, companies, especially those that are technology-driven, collaborate strategically for the overall industrial development and growth of Nigeria through technology,” he said.
Robert decries Nigerians penchant for dependence and consumption of foreign brands, saying it was detrimental to the development of the country.
“Our brains have been wired to think that nothing good can come out of Nigeria. But this country will be great if we change that mentality of depending and consuming everything foreign,” he said.
Robert believes that technology is not transferable because of the exigencies of national and international difference.
“Let’s start building our own technology. At Zeetin, we are building a brand that will outlive us, stand the test of time. Our brand, like the Solid Works academy, should provide a platform for other Nigerians to showcase their tech work.”
He advised Nigerians to begin to build conglomerate brands that cut across Nigeria’s ethnic and tribal borders.
Speaking about empowerment of engineers, Eterigho said that Nigerian women engineers needed “digital transformation to enable us function effectively in our various fields of specialisation.
“We need more advocacy, enlightenment, improved local content, change of our taste buds to curtail Nigerians’ dependence on and consumption of foreign brands.”
She said that APWEN, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, was involved in advocacy, and that it would like to collaborate with Zeetin Engineering to help improve, build the skills of women Engineers.
“We want to encourage girls to change their mentality and orientation about science subjects, because they often considered them too difficult.”
As part of the collaborative efforts, Zeetin’s CEO granted APWEN’s requests to regularly be sending women Engineers to Zeetin for their IT and NYSC assignments under his tutelage.