The Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Minna, Niger State, is one of the development institutes of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI). The institute is one of the two with similar mandate; the other SEDI is located in Enugu State. In this media encounter, the Managing Director of SEDI Minna, Prof. Mohammed B. Ndaliman offered advice on what Nigeria should do in order to boost local production and the need to consume Made-in-Nigeria science and laboratory equipment; pointing to examples of China and India, so as to strengthen the value of Nigeria’s naira. He was patriotic in his submissions.

History of SEDI-Minna
The Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Minna is amongst the famous institutes of NASENI. It was created from the Act which established its parent organization-the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure in 1992. Although SEDI had been conceived much earlier than that. Before then it was called the Science Equipment Manufacturing Factory (SEMF) that was before the establishment of NASENI. The earlier intention was for the establishment to serve as a factory operated by government for production of various Science Equipment.

So with SEDI now under NASENI, its mandate is to research into production and reverse engineering of various systems for mass production of school laboratories, apparatus for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Introductory Technology , Integrated Science and others. Part of our mandate is to research into scientific equipment for higher institutions . Also we are to carry out research and development (R&Ds) for some instruments, Mechanical and Artisanal works in the country. After we have carried out R&Ds, and the results or what have you, all are expected to be transferred to SMEs or individuals for the purpose of mass production. So going by the mandate given to SEDI by NASENI, we can research into all the above to evolve a sustainable technological system for production for all scientific industries in the country and also produce them in large quantities and thereby achieving gradually the process of industrialization of the country.

Now you also asked how the story of the institute had been as far as its mandate is concerned. SEDI Minna has demonstrated capacities and also given opportunities to dispense capacity and skills in the areas of laboratory, school laboratory equipment and all other areas which I mentioned earlier like machine building and also reverse engineering as part of our mandate. We have been able to develop various components and machines and now working on the processes of sensitizing stakeholders on how to transfer some of these technologies to those who are interested in using them to do business. So again ,over the years we have also been able to offer consultancy services to various individuals and organizations in the areas of scientific equipment development.

We have been able to come up with products that reduce hardship in schools in terms of organizing practical sessions for students. Our star products are the various Science kits: primary and Junior secondary Science kits (JSK) and we also have mathematical kits. The kits contain various items and apparatus required to carry out experiments, scientific investigation and observations by young stars in schools. So the kits, by God’s grace; I assure you that before middle of 2022, you will come back to us and we will show a complete kit that can be used to conduct laboratories practical at Senior secondary school level. These are parts of the remarkable achievements we have made over the years.

Challenges Around The Operations of SEDI
Let me take you back a little in this conversation. I said the Institute was established over thirty years ago. So if you would reflect on institutional operations, it is thirty years of experience and operations. Therefore, first it takes constant maintenance to retain the qualities of what was installed at the outset. That’s how it is supposed to be especially for things to remain as envisioned from start. Some of the challenges now are infrastructural related and closely connected to that is funding. One of the challenges we have now is the ability to carry out manufacturing of R&Ds results. I had earlier told you that SEDI Minna was established as a manufacturing outfit and later converted to a development institute. So, because of the earlier mandate, its infrastructural emphasis was to provide various manufacturing endeavours. For instance, if you’re manufacturing, you will discover that 90% of the man-power required comprises of Artisans and probably Technicians as we do the production.

But talking of machines to an institute, it’s just manufacturing of machines and you will be thinking of research and development and less of Artisans and technicians. Therefore this is one area now where we have a lot of challenges especially in terms of the nature of man-power composition. The nature of infrastructure on ground are not fully researched-based and the man-power and infrastructure also are not researched based. The other challenge staring us in the face now is when you come to the issue of research which normally requires some sophisticated instrument and equipment including high level knowledge, nevertheless we are working toward alleviating these challenges.

Tackling the Challenges

Alright first of all, when we talk in terms of finance, we try to sensitize people who would have one thing or the other to do with the institute so that in addition to whatever amount we get from the government, we would add it to the little funding which we derive from those who patronize the institute in terms of internally generated revenue (IGR) which we use to augment the financial needs of the Institute. Then second, some of the dilapidated infrastructures; we’ve sort approval from various authorities and I must give accolades to our able Executive Vice Chairman (NASENI) Engr. Prof. M.S Haruna for the supports he has given to us and also he has continued to look for ways out whenever we call on the headquarters for support. Through these supports and other contacts, we have been able to find ways to see how we’ll reduce the level of dilapidation of our infrastructures. Now you can see we are making efforts to either replace some of the broken down equipment that are no longer functional. Also rather we are making efforts to procure new ones. So we’re gradually coming up to get our infrastructures updated and I think in no distant time perhaps within one to three years, we would be where we are aspiring to be. We should be able to recover these infrastructures or technological equipment and production systems. The next challenge we are trying to resolve is staff orientation and development. For instance about six years ago in SEDI there was no staff apart from the Managing Director with a P.hD in the Institute. But I’m happy to say that within the last three years, we have a lot of people with Masters and not less than six P.hDs. So we are coming to that level where a very good research institute is expected to have staff with high level specialized knowledge and state-of-the-art infrastructures meant for research and development. That is where we’re getting to now. So we’re now taking various steps to get to that level so that we can tackle with easy the challenges that I have earlier mentioned.

Achievements by SEDI-Minna

We thank God in very great ways for the moderate achievements by the Institute. First in the areas of actualizing our mandate, we have been able to come up with various science kits. We call them junior secondary science kits (JSK) and also we have the Primary science kits (PSK). There are the mathematical kits. All these are innovation to serve like taking a mobile science laboratory to schools, probably when one class or school finished using it , it goes to another school or class. It is cost effective and it will solve the problems of lack of fund needed to build standard science and technology laboratories for all schools. I imagine a situation where laboratories have to be built for all schools. The advantage of these mobile science kits is that even schools in remote locations are not left out of the benefits of performing scientific experiments. Not long ago , we donated such kits to some pupils in schools in our settlement here. Talking also on reverse engineering issue, we have imported some latest equipment which we split or dismantle and by using our own creativity to build one that is similar to them. In the process of doing this, we are building local capacity to fabricate machines so that we can produce locally and give to industrialists. We have been able to achieve several reverse engineered equipment by building things like plates ,shaping machines, glaze mixing machines, screen printing machines and sheet metal splitting machines.

Other products of the Institute include ceramic wares, laboratory measuring cylinders, beakers, funnel, water dispensers, aspirator bottles. Some of the above mentioned items also have been produced in plastic forms so they can be easily handled by our children in primary and junior secondary school levels than the delicate ones produced in a glass form. All these were produced in our glass and allied workshop. Now things like other metallic object like burners were produced from engineering workshop. Apart from laboratory equipment, we have rulers, Computer hardware, work station and other teaching aids. The Institute’s wooding workshop also produces both home and school furniture. In the ceramics section, we produce ceramic cup, flower vase made from ceramic. In essence, let me tell you we have enough to produce as far as our scientific mandate is concerned; it’s just a question of infrastructure and when the infrastructure is perfected every other thing will follow.

Relevance of SEDI-Minna to Socio-Economic Development of Nigeria. 
In the arena of socio-economic development, I told you by implication if we are able to transfer the technologies or our production systems and various scientific equipment, apparatus, in which case very many of them will be produced within the country and by Nigerian business men and women, then, we are positively affecting the socio-economic realms of the country. Of course, we would have transformed the economy of the country or ended up influencing the economy in the direction of a knowledge based economy and therefore our activities will checkmate continuous capital flight that have always been the case in the meantime. So we will be strengthening the value of our national currency and also preventing currency devaluation which is the case presently because we now have a situation where the naira is chasing the dollars needed for importation of all things into the country. Not only SEDI Minna needs the strengthening now but also the general manufacturing sector of the economy needs to be revitalized so that production will increase. A productive economy always strengthens both the currency and the general economy of the country. In other words, I am saying that our institute SEDI is a critical unit of the Nigeria manufacturing sector. The institute was set up to strengthen the manufacturing sector and for the general economic development of the country