Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has said the uncontrolled importation of foreign technology into Nigeria has made the country not fully independent.

According to him, no nation is truly independent if it is technologically dependent.

Ayade stated this, yesterday, in Abuja at the Joint Action Congress of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) award.

At the ceremony organised to honour Nigerians who have contributed significantly towards the repositioning of the agency, the governor, who was also a recipient of the award, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving one per cent of the Federation Account for NASENI.

Data released recently by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) had said 90 per cent of technologies powering the Nigerian economy were imported

But Ayade lamented that without the development of local technology, “the independence of Nigeria in 1960 was a mere political independence.”

He added: “True independence is when Nigeria becomes self-reliant in technology and engineering and that’s why NASENI has come with the presidential approval for the agency to have her dues by what is provided by the constitution for them to have one per cent of the federation account.”

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