The Director-General, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, Prof. Jeffrey Barminas, said that Nigeria lost $1.4bn to importation of chemicals in 2019.

He made the disclosure on Thursday at an interactive session in Abuja with the Senate Committee on Science and Technology chaired by Sen. Uche Ekwunife.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Barminas said that the country was losing a lot every year on chemical imports.

He said, “We are highly dependent on importation of chemicals and chemical products into this country.

“Just in 2019 alone, this country has lost over $1.4bn on the importation of chemicals.

“And how can we handle this. We as a nation can produce chemicals and chemical products based on the natural resources that God has endowed us with.

“Because of our dependence on petroleum for a long time, we left our indigenous chemical technology and that’s why today we are losing a lot in terms of importation.”

He said that if the country got its research and infrastructure in chemical technology right, it would cover up the gap in importation of chemicals.

The NARICT boss further said that part of the institute’s achievements was the production of fertilizer.

“The fertilizer we have is not chemical fertilizer that affects the soil when applied over a long period. Rather it is an organic fertilizer; it is need-based,”