By Stanley Onyeka, Lagos
PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC, under NOTAP-Industry Research Laboratory Upgrade Project, said it has donated state-of-the art research equipment to the Department of Chemistry, University of Jos, Plateau State.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PZ Cussons Nigeria, Dimitris Kostianis, was quoted as saying: “We keyed into the vision of National Office for Technology for Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in their quest to bridge the gap between academia and industry in translating research in our knowledge centres into required goods.
“Nigeria is blessed with intellectual assets, what is urgently required are state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for effective and world-class research endeavours.
“We are motivated by NOTAP to identify with these needs and render remedial intervention.”
He added that “So far, our intervention has covered eight universities across the six geo-political zones of the country.
“We will very soon commission two similar gestures in other universities to bring the total number to 10. We also offered five Ph.D fellowships now at various stages of completion of their programmes.”
Mr. Kostianis explained that these gestures are part of PZ Cussons’ Corporate Social Investment to entrench ‘Good for Business’ for the good of Nigeria’s ecosystem.
Nigeria is blessed with intellectual assets, what is urgently required are state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for effective and world-class research endeavours.
In her remarks, Director-General and CEO, NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, applauded PZ Cussons for their dogged and consistent support for the project.
She noted that PZ Cussons is the only company that has so far keyed into the Research Laboratory Upgrade project’, while beckoning on others to join in these crusades to improve research infrastructure in our knowledge centres.
Also commenting, the Vice Chancellor, University of Jos Prof. Tanko Isyaku, expressed his happiness to witness both the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony and the inauguration of the project on the premises of the university campus last Thursday, Bauchi Road.
He called for more of such assistance from the private sector to public institutions.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by the full complement of the academic community, students, NOTAP leadership as well as that of PZ Cussons.
