FG gives solar kits and clean stoves to 330 Ondo residents
- NASENI handed solar home systems and clean cooking stoves to 330 people across Ondo's 18 local government areas.
- The agency's head, Khalil Halilu, said the aim is to turn home-grown research into products people can use.
- Youth minister Ayodele Olawande said beneficiaries will also get money to start or grow small businesses.
Three hundred and thirty people in Ondo State have received solar home systems and clean cooking stoves made in Nigeria, under a federal programme run by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
The items were shared on Saturday with people drawn from all 18 local government areas of the state.
NASENI's Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Halilu, said the Sustainable Empowerment Programme is meant to move research from laboratories into everyday homes and businesses.
He said the initiative was designed to turn research and development into practical products that can improve living conditions and create economic opportunities for Nigerians.
He said locally made products like these can create jobs and help communities solve their own problems, adding that the agency's work only counts when it makes people more productive and improves how they live.
Why it matters for households
According to Halilu, the solar systems give families light, let children read after dark and help small traders keep working in the evening. The stoves are presented as a cheaper, cleaner way to cook that cuts down on smoke when used properly.
Smoke from firewood is a daily hazard for many Nigerian women and their children, and the switch to cleaner cooking is one of the practical gains officials are promising from the scheme.
Halilu said the programme has now covered more than 10 states across the country's six geopolitical zones.
Youth Development Minister Ayodele Olawande said beneficiaries will get extra money to set up or grow small businesses. He rejected the idea that the handouts are politics, describing them as a way of carrying technology and business chances to grassroots communities.
He said some people helped by similar government schemes have received grants of ₦20m, ₦10m and ₦5m for their businesses and ideas.
Olawande also said the ministry will start the Nigeria Youth Academy on November 9 to back innovation and entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
What happens next
Beneficiaries are also to receive financial support for their micro-businesses, according to the minister. The Nigeria Youth Academy opens on November 9.