Sultan Commissions Laptop Plant at UNN

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubukar111, has commissioned a multi-million naira plant at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at the University during the Founders’ Day celebration, the Sultan who was the guest lecturer, said the idea of the University setting up the plant was not only innovative but also in line with the dreams of the founding fathers of the university. He commended the effort of the Prof. Ozumba leadership and called on other tertiary institutions in the country to take a cue from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The Sultan was optimistic that other universities in the country would take a cue from the University of Nigeria Nsukka in setting up projects that will reduce foreign exchange and boast local technology.

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka in a bid to provide every student of the university, with affordable laptops has established a laptop assembly plant at the the institution.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Benjamin Ozumba, who spoke at the occasion stated that the goal of the project which is known as “Lion Laptops” was to make laptop affordable to students to carry out research and other trainings. The Vice Chancellor said apart from making the systems available for the students and the university community, students of engineering would through the plant develop and acquire further skills in Laptop technology..

He said the most important aspect of the enterprise was that the plant would give room for development and deployment of local contents in the components of the laptops
According to the Vice Chancellor, the plant would be able to produce about one hundred thousand laptops per annum when it becomes fully operational.

He said: “today, education is ICT based and we cannot allow our students to be left behind. This project is geared towards making laptops available to our students and the university community at the most affordable rate. The systems come in as Total Knock down (TKD) and our local engineers here would assemble them. It makes the price cheaper and affordable.

“With time, the plant would be injecting local content in the manufacture of the laptops. For instance, we can engage local manufacturers in areas of producing the plastic components of the system. With this, the laptop casings could be branded to our taste. Of course Nigeria has an array of software developers who could be made to key into the production chain so that we don’t continue to import everything 100 per cent. Indeed, that is part of the dream of Nigeria”.

The head of the assembly Plant, Engineer Charles Emembolu stressed that with the establishment of the Lion Laptop Assembly plant in UNN, the institution would continue to occupy the number one position among Nigeria Universities which it had held for three years running. He encouraged students to take full advantage of the project and launch themselves into the new world of information and Communications technology.

High point of the event was the presentation of the Lion Laptops to the Sultan of Sokoto, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and his Delta State Counterpart, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

Alphonsus Nweze, Awka