The Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prof Nse Essien has hinted that Chemistry is indispensable in the development and study of science.
Prof. Essien dropped the hint when he received representatives of American Chemical Society (ACS), Nigerian Chapter who visited him in his office to present two students from Akwa Ibom selected to benefit from the ACS Project SEED training.
He congratulated the awardees on their selection and advised them to dedicate themselves to the training in order to enrich their experimental knowledge in Chemistry.
The Commissioner assured the awardees that they are in the right place for the training, as the Ministry’s Research and Development Laboratory is the best in the country having been conferred with a Green Label Award by Environmental Society as the best managed government laboratory in the country.
He promised the Ministry’s continued cooperation and support to ACS in its activities.
In their separate remarks, the National representative of ACS on the occasion, Dr. Edu J. Inam and the ACS Project SEED Coordinator, Dr. Atim S. Johnson said Akwa Ibom State has been selected by ACS for the programme which is the first in Africa.
They said that ACS is aimed at mentoring upcoming chemists and supporting practising chemists to increase the fund of knowledge in the area, as Chemistry is indeed a transformation agent.
They also thanked the Commissioner and management of the Ministry for collaboration with the Society and charged the awardees to be focused on the training.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Engr. Richard Ekpe commended ACS for the initiative and wished the awardees a fruitful training session.
The awardees, Ms. Atinuke Nelson Usanga, an SS3 student of Community Secondary School, Aka Offot and Master Saviour Joseph Ibok, an SS3 student of Itam Secondary School, all in Uyo emerged tops in a selection examination conducted for 44 candidates by ACS.
The ACS Project SEED training is a hands-on training programme for budding chemists in laboratory experimentation and the training will run for eight weeks.