ABU seeks investment as ‘best brains’ in nuclear science emigrate

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) has called for more investment in education at the national and sub-national levels to harness the potential of nuclear science in agriculture and medicine.

NAN reports that Kabiru Bala, the vice-chancellor of ABU, spoke on Friday in Zaria during the 16th Annual General Assembly event organised by the ABU alumni association.

Bala said ABU is the only university in Nigeria to have a nuclear reactor, which he said was reduced from high enriched core to low enriched core, a research reactor.

He lamented that the best brains in ABU on nuclear science are emigrating and making contributions elsewhere.

“While those countries grow, we go down,” the VC said.

Bala said key stakeholders must channel more investment into education from the local level to the federal level.

The VC said ABU and a few other universities who are offering courses in nuclear science or relevant areas had a meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

He said the IAEA discovered that the application of nuclear science in Africa remains very low.

The VC said if the country wants to have sustainable power and use fossil fuel, nuclear power is the next power alternative.

He said there are modular systems that can generate small amounts of energy over time to reduce the risk of accidents.

The VC added that universities elsewhere are building modular nuclear reactors, hence, Nigeria must invest in education.

“When we start discussing nuclear, people must think about bombs, but nuclear science has gone far ahead of bombs. It is applied in agriculture, medicine and all other aspects of human endeavour,” he said.