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More here http://www.thisdayonline.com/

Professor Dickson Ozokwelu, is a Nigerian-born, United States-based chemical engineer and energy expert. Currently a staff of the US Department of Energy(DOE), Ozokwelu is passionate about getting Nigeria's energy crisis resolved. In this online interview with THISDAY, he discusses issues related to how to achieve enduring stability in the power supply sector and the net impact of this on the country's development in general.

Excerpt

Sir, you are specialized in the area of energy production and its efficient use. Though you are resident in the United States, you have made periodic intervention in Nigeria's search for stable power supply. Please, tell us more about your work in the energy generation and consumption sector?

Although, I haveknowledge of fossil based power generation technologies, my expertise and experience are primarily in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Overall, I have 35+ years of diversified engineering and management experience, spread almost evenly between entrepreneurship, government, industry and academia. For the past 11 years, I have been at US Department of Energy (US DOE) as the Lead Technology Manager for the Chemicals Portfolio in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In this position, I play significant roles in reshaping the US government’s energy policy as well as developing and deploying energy- efficient and renewable energy technologies in key manufacturing industries in the United States, including Chemicals, Petroleum Refining and Pulp and Paper Industries.

By virtue of my position at United States Department of Energy (US DOE), I have developed expertise in national energy policies and various energy technologies, especially energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, including solar electric, solar thermal, wind, and micro hydropower. Subsequently, I have built up extensive international and US network and contacts, especially in US Energy, Chemicals, Petroleum Refining, Pulp and Paper and Power industries. As a result of my work at US DOE, I have received invitations to international speaking engagements on the subject of the similarities of technologies for industrial energy savings and pollution abatement from such organizations like The World Bank, International Flames and Retardants Conference, Birmingham UK, et cetera.

Most recently, I was the invited key note speaker at the Nigerian Society for Chemical Engineer’s (NSChE’s) 40th annual International Conference on: Harnessing and Optimizing Nigeria’s Energy Resources in the next decade (2010-2020), in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, November 18-21, 2010.

In addition to my activities at US DOE, I am the Director and Founder of BESTECH ENERGY CORPORATION @www.bestechenergy.com<http://www.bestechenergy.com>, a US based company with a worldwide mission to provide the highest quality of Modular Integrated Green Energy Solutions (MIGES) to both advanced and developing countries. BESTECH ENERGY has done installations in the US and Nigeria.

The latest one is an automatically operated 2kW off grid Solar System in Abuja Nigeria powering among other things the most efficient heat pump air conditioners in the world today with 538 watts maximum energy consumption for a 1 ton unit! I have also sent energy policy recommendations to both the Obasanjo and Yar’Adua administrations. BestechEnergy heat pump was recently accepted by the US government’s Energy Star Program as an Energy Star Air Source Heat Pump.

In a total of over 10 years prior to my career at US DOE, I held several technical and managerial positions in the US chemical industry and about 2 years in Nigeria for one or two Nigerian manufacturing companies. I was Engineering Associate (2nd to the highest rank in technical ladder) at BP North America, formerly BP-Amoco and Senior Research Chemical Engineer at Eastman Chemicals Company.

Prior to getting involved in power technologies, I had gained global recognition (US and abroad) as an expert in separations technology and won the OIT-DOE First Technology Vision 2020 Award for the Chemical Industry in Separations.

Prior to my US industrial experience, I had about 10 years of university teaching in both US (Oklahoma State University, Christian Brothers University, Memphis Tennessee, and Prairie View A&M University, Texas) and Nigeria (University of Benin).

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Prof Peter Nwangwu

Nigerian Prof. appointed vice president of international education agency



The International Accreditation Organization, IAO, a United States based worldwide education accreditation agency has appointed a world renown educator, Prof. Peter Uchenna Nwangwu, as its honorary Vice President.


The agency works with educational institutions and governments worldwide to raise the standard and quality of education, and gives international accreditation to secondary and tertiary educational institutions around the world who have attained their stringent high quality education standard.

Nwangwu who lived a professional life in the United States for 34 years before returning to Nigeria, recently, is the President and Chief Executive officer of the University of Nigeria Research and Economic Development, UNRED, foundation.

According to Dr. Brad Walters of the world quality education accreditation agency, Professor Nwangwu was chosen for his international reputation, integrity, intelligence, character history, and compelling record of inventions and significant contributions to medical and pharmaceutical education on a global scale.

As honourary Vice President of the IAO,Professor Nwangwu, can live in Nigeria, and continue with his professional job in Nigeria, but will contribute to and significantly influence policies and programs of the organization worldwide.

Nwangwu noted that his appointment will help in the development of education in Nigeria and the present administration to work with the world body to transform the education system in Nigeria to meet world quality standards, and receive good international accreditation.

It should be noted that no Nigerian university has been able to rank or come in within the top 6,000 universities in the world, in the current ranking of universities worldwide .

Along with Haakeem Olajuwon and Phillip Emeagwali, Nwangwu was among the twelve Nigerians who were selected and documented as Nigerians who have made the greatest positive impact and contributions to the American society in reference book "The Nigerian-Americans", published in America by Greenwood Press, authoured by Professor Ogbaa.

More on Prof Nwangwu here

http://elections.punchng.com/parties/candidates/id/3/name/peter-uchenna-nwangwu/
http://www.nwangwu.com/
http://www.africansuccess.org/visuFiche.php?id=418&lang=en

3) ODEIN AJIMOGOBIA
This is the finest and most diplomatic Nigerian Minister of Forign Affairs in our history.
For now, it is not clear if he will return in this cabinet.
We keep our fingers crossed ><

enyojo:

3) ODEIN AJIMOGOBIA
This is the finest and most diplomatic Nigerian Minister of Forign Affairs in our history.
For now, it is not clear if he will return in this cabinet.
We keep our fingers crossed ><

You are right. The man is a rare specimen in a maddening crowd. I hear he will become Naija ambasasor to the UN

There are so many qualified people of Nigerian extraction in the US and other parts of the world.

afam4eva:

There are so many qualified people of Nigerian extraction in the US and other parts of the world.

These men are different because they have both the theoretical and applied knowledge of their calling, in addition to administrative experience.
Nwangwu was actually a presidential aspirant in the last election.

ZnO:

You are right. The man is a rare specimen in a maddening crowd. I hear he will become Naija ambasasor to the UN

I HOPE THIS IS TRUE

There are somany of such men, but they are not too desperate the way most of those being choose now are.

since when has nigerian cabinet posts been on merit.