News

On behalf of the management and the entire staff of the Institute, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the institute. As one of our major stakeholders, to say I am delighted to host you is to say the least.

This courtesy visit is taking place at this time when the Federal Government has identified diversification of the economy through increasing industrial production capacities of our small, medium and large enterprises to meet local demand and for export to generate the much needed foreign exchange. This is the time the Federal Government is looking inward into our national research centers to power industrial development through investment in indigenous technologies as viable option for the economy growth.

There is no gainsaying that without the effective application of innovations and research breakthroughs, we cannot take full advantage of the extensive array of raw materials available in our country. I am certain that with SMEs taking utmost advantage of the available raw materials which FIIRO has extensively conducted research on, economic diversification would be at an accelerated rate.

The need for the Institute’s continuous collaboration with NASME cannot be over emphasized. The institute needs this collaboration to achieve its mandate which is to assist in accelerating the pace of industrialization of Nigeria. The Institute has completely packaged over 100 of these technologies with readily available pre-feasibility reports making the technologies ready for immediate commercialization.

The Institute is in partnership with some international and national organizations. Such organizations include United Nations Industrial Development Organizations (UNIDO), Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture (BOA). SMAEs stand to benefit a lot from our experience in SMEs development with these organizations. This could be through knowledge sharing and provision of information on financial succor for both startups and existing businesses. FIIRO/NASME partnership is a worthy relationship and would continue to be so.

Thank you and God bless you all.

 1.0 INTRODUCTION:

The Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, a Parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology as part of the efforts to achieve its mandate and in compliance with the requirements of the Public Procurement Act 2007 (PPA) hereby invites interested competent and reputable firms with proven experience to express their interest in the Consultancy Services for the following:

 Category A

• Consultancy Services for Construction and Rehabilitation Works.

A1.      SCOPE OF WORK

• Preparation of drawings
• Preparation of Bill of Quantities
• The Consulting Firm will design a process for achievement of the projects
• The Consulting Firm will ensure the supervision of the progress of the projects.

Category B

LOT B1: Consultancy Services on Youth training/empowerment in Nsukka/Igbo-Eze South Federal Constituency, Enugu state.

LOT B2: Consultancy Services on Publication of R&D result in printed and electronic media.

LOT B3: Consultancy Services on Promotion of FIIRO Developed Technologies

LOT B4: Consultancy Services on National Innovation Week.

LOT B5: Consultancy Services on Research and Development into food for immediate relief for the IDPS/Malnutrition Management Ready to Use Therapeutic Food Programme.

LOT B6: Consultancy Services on Research and Development into pulp and paper production project technologies

LOT B7: Consultancy services on Techno-Entrepreneurship and Industrial Development.

LOT B8: Consultancy Services on Entrepreneurship Training of Youth and Women

LOT B9: Consultancy Services on Quality Management System – ISO 9001:2015

LOT B10: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training on Zobo Extraction and Preservation in North-East Zonal Office

LOT B11: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training on Zobo Extraction and Preservation for Tudunwada Local Government Area of Kano State

LOT B12: Consultancy Services on Techno Entrepreneurship Training on Fruit Juice Extraction

LOT B13: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training on Zobo Extraction and Preservation in North-Central Zonal Office

LOT B14: Consultancy Services on Skill Acquisition in Preservatives of Tomato Processing Enzymes Preservation and Local Brew 

LOT B15: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training on Cassava Processing Into Fufu in South-East Zonal Office, Enugu 

LOT B16: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training of Women/Youth on Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production in South-West Zonal Office Owode

LOT B17: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training of Women/Youth on Instant Plantain Flour Production in South-South Zonal Office, Asaba

LOT B18: Consultancy Services on Techno-Entrepreneurship Training on Zobo Extraction and Preservative

2. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The Prospective Contractors/Service Provider shall be required to submit the following documents:

1. Evidence of Certificate of Incorporation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) including Form CAC2 and CAC7;
2. Evidence of Company Income’s Tax Clearance Certificate for the last three (3) years (2016, 2017 & 2018) valid till 31st December, 2019;
3. Evidence of current Pension Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2019;
4. Evidence of current Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 31st December, 2019;
5. Evidence of current Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Compliance Certificate valid till 31st December, 2019;
6. Evidence of Registration on the National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers by submission of Interim Registration Report (IRR) expiring on 1/1/2020 or valid Certificate issued by BPP.
7. Sworn Affidavit disclosing whether or not any officer of the relevant committee of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi or the Bureau of Public Procurement is a former or present Director, shareholder or has any pecuniary interest in the bidder and to confirm that all information presented in its bid are true and correct in all particulars;
8. Company’s Audited Accounts for the last three (3) years - 2016, 2017, 2018;
9. Evidence of financial capability to execute the project by submission of Reference Letter from a reputable commercial bank indicating willingness to fund the project when awarded;
10. Evidence of Firm’s registration with relevant profession body(ies)
11. Company Profile with the Curriculum Vitae of Key Staff to be deployed for the project, including copies of their Academic/Professional qualifications (COREN, QSRBN, ARCON, CORBON etc.);
12. Verifiable documentary evidence of at least three (3) similar jobs executed in the last five (5) years including Letters of Awards, Valuation Certificates, Job Completion Certificates and Photographs of the projects;
13. For Joint Venture/Partnership/Consortium, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be provided (CAC, Tax Clearance Certificate, Pension Compliance Certificate, ITF Compliance Certificate, NSITF Compliance Certificate, IRR & Sworn Affidavit are compulsory for each JV partner);
14. All documents for submission must be transmitted with a Covering/Forwarding letter under the Company/Firm’s Letter Head Paper bearing amongst others, the Registration Number (RC) as issued by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Contact Address, Telephone Number (preferably GSM No.), and e-mail address. The Letterhead Paper must bear the Names and Nationalities of the Directors of the Company at the bottom of the page, duly signed by the authorised officer of the firm.

3.0      SUBMISSION OF EOI DOCUMENT

Interested firms are to submit two (2) bound of Expression of Interest (EOI) documents separated by dividers and arranged as indicated in eligibility criteria.  The documents should be submitted in a sealed envelope and addressed to the THE DIRECTOR GENERAL/CEO, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, P.M.B. 21023, Ikeja, Lagos State and should be dropped in a box Marked ‘Expression of Interest’’ in the office of the Director Procurement, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, P.M.B. 21023, Ikeja, Lagos State not later than 12.00noon on Tuesday 8th October, 2019.

4.0      OPENING OF EOI DOCUMENT

Expression of Interest will be opened immediately following the deadline for the submission of bids on 8th October, 2019, at 12:00 noon at the Institute Auditorium in the presence of bidders or their representatives. Please, ensure that you sign the Submission Register in the Office of the Director of Procurement, Ground Floor, Administrative Building, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, as the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi will not be held liable for misplaced or wrongly submitted bids. For further enquiries, please contact the “08132173116” on e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Only Shortlisted Firms will be invited at a later date for collection of Request for Proposal.

5.0      ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

1. Letter Authorizing FIIRO to make enquires about any information supplied by the Company.
2. No bidder should bid for more than two (2) lots
3. Any other information that will be useful in determine the firm’s competence
4. Bidder or their representatives and other interested Organizations / General Public are by this notice invited to witness the event

5. Only firms that comply with regulatory requirements would be considered
6. Late submission will be returned un-opened
7. Bidder shall be responsible for all expenses incurred in the preparation of their Bids
8. Failure to satisfactorily fulfill the conditions as requested above will result to the invalidation of such document

9. FIIRO reserve the right to verify the authenticity of claim(s) made by any Company
10. FIIRO shall reserve the right to reject any submission based on unverifiable information

Please note that this exercise place no commitment on FIIRO nor establishes any legal relationship whatsoever.

11. FIIRO is not bound to pre-qualify any bidder and reserves the right to annul the Procurement process at any time without incurring any liabilities in accordance with Section 28 of the Public Procurement Act 2007

The Institute’s website, E-mail address and Phone number are as follows:

E-mail Address: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: -www.fiiro.gov.ng

Tel: - 08132173116

Signed

MANAGEMENT

FIIRO is making giant strides in it's collaboration efforts with relevant organizations and institutions that could make positive contributions to achieve her mandate.

It is on this premise that the Institute received on courtesy visit the newly elected Executives and some Board members of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers on the 5th of May, 2023.

The DG/CEO FIIRO Dr (Mrs) Jummai Adamu Tutuwa ably assisted by the Committee of Directors at FIIRO received the Executives of the Society at FIIRO Conference Room.

The DG in her welcome speech enumerated the importance of collaboration to include cost saving through sharing of research facilities; development of joint research proposals, joint patenting among others.

She expressed her delight to work with the Society after identifying some key ongoing research projects at FIIRO with Chemical Engineers as Principal Investigators.

The DG/CEO later asked the Director Extension and Linkage, Dr. Dele Oyeku to throw more light on FIIRO collaboration activities including history, success stories and collaboration philosophy of the Institute.

Engr Anthony Ogbuigwe, the National President of the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers had on his entourage Engr Anthony Ogheneovo (Executive Secretary), Engr. Olarewaju-Alo Olumuyiwa (Deputy National President), Dr N. John Erinne (Board Member) and Engr Onyeka Okonkwo (Board Member).

The National President could not contain his joy for the opportunity to work with FIIRO under his leadership of the Society. He said he did his internship at FIIRO in 1974  as a Student of Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos.

Some areas highlighted for collaboration include: joint research on projects of mutual benefits, commercialization of R&D projects through some Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) such as Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria (MAN), National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), etc.

To move the collaboration forward, it was agreed that a small committee be set up to coordinate the activities of the collaboration.

A group photograph was taken and the program came to an end on a very good note after signing the Institute's Visitor's Book.

MOCAPI unit is a mechanization project meant to upgrade production of gari at cottage level it targeted women processors in the rural areas who do not have access to improved processing methods and equipment.

The idea for a mobile cassava-processing unit as service support for women engaged in the cassava sector was born during a study tour in Oyo and Ogun Sate, Nigeria in 2017.

Major findings were that the level of technology used by the women at cottage level does not allow expansion to more profitable markets and low efficiency in some of the processes leads to low margins. Women also usually lack capital to invest in technology in order to enhance their production.

By bundling some of the machinery necessary to upgrade the processing at cottage level to one mobile unit, MOCAPI will actually create a new job profile of a service provider in the cassava sector.

The project is a cooperation partnership between the Nigerian Government, notably the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi FIIRO, GIZ Nigeria on behalf of the German Government and Robert Bosch Ltd., Nigeria. All three parties align their specific contributions to the project based on agreed activities.

The approach followed is to specifically mechanize those processes where, with little technical input, a maximum of increased efficiency and quality improvement can be reached. By renting the mobile services, women can easily incorporate the new technology into their individual processes while still being attached to their own households.

FIIRO was involved in the area of design, fabrication and assembly of the grater, hammer mill, cassava mash press and the towing cart while Bosch provided the Sealing machine. All the machineries were packed into an Indian made tricycle.

Objective: with the goal of transforming the cassava value chain and fostering the inclusion of marginalized women, GIZ Green Innovation Centre (GIAE), Bosch and Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) have formed a partnership aiming to:

• Improve stationary processes as grating and pressing
• Implement hygienic and sustainable packaging
• Improve business skills, diversify product lines and strengthen women and cooperatives.

Collaboration with May and Baker Plc received a major boost on Wednesday, 5th April, 2023 when the DG/CEO Dr. (Mrs.) Jummai Adamu Tutuwa received the MD May and Baker Pharm. Patrick Ajah on a Working Visit to the Institute.

FIIRO's Committee of Directors and the Technical Team on FIIRO SC1 assisted the DG/CEO to receive the high level team from May and Baker Plc. On the entourage of the MD are the May and Baker Plc Head of Operations and Head of Engineering.

Director Extension and Linkage, FIIRO gave a comprehensive update on the journey so far with May and Baker Plc on the commercialization of FIIRO SC 1 - a Nutraceutical product for management of sickle cell disease developed by the Institute.

The meeting reviewed the impediments of the past and agreed on a broad road map to move the collaboration forward.

It was reported that all the stakeholders in the project including Temitayo Awosika Foundation represented by Dr Dere Awosika, Prof Mrs Gloria Elemo (Former DG FIIRO) and Prof Franscis Shode (a private Consultant based in South Africa) are all on the same page on this renewed interest at the instance of the DG/CEO Dr Mrs Tutuwa to move the project forward.

As one of the major steps to moving forward, a new Non- Disclosure Agreement is to be prepared and endorsed by all the stakeholders with a timeline of one week to achieve this. 

May and Baker Plc agreed to revive immediately every effort geared at commercial production of the product (Hanuta) including raw materials sourcing, product packaging, product registration with Nafdac, Trademark registration, product launching and so on.

The International Research Network on Alternate Sweeteners (interRNAS) in collaboration with Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) and Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, held its 1st International Conference on Alternate Sweeteners at FIIRO between Monday December 3rd and Wednesday December 5th, 2018. The theme of the conference was “Harnessing the potentials of THAUMATIN (Thaumatococcus danielli) in Africa”

The conference was attended by about 200 participants encompassing professionals that have worked extensively on the propagation and processing of Thaumatin. The welcome address was delivered by the host, Director-General/CEO FIIRO, Prof. (Mrs) Gloria N. Elemo while the introductory remark on the objectives of the conference was given by the convener of the conference and coordinator of interRNAS, Prof. B.O. Elemo, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos. Professor Maurice Iwu (President, Bioresources Development Group, BDG), chaired the opening ceremony of the conference. The keynote address was given by Professor Abidemi Paul Kappo (President South African Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) from the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

The plenary papers were presented by Mr. Ravindra Shah, Director of HITECH Specialties Solution Pvt, Food & Health Care Division, India, on “Production and Commercialization of Alternate Sweeteners: Potentials and Challenges”; Prof S. N Chinedu, Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Canaan Land, Otta, Ogun State on “Industrial Utilization and application of Thaumatococcus danielli”; Dr. O. B Adu, Department of Biochemistry, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos on “Health implications of Thaumatococcus danielli and its production” and Prof. A. A. Jayeola, Department of Botany, University of Ibadan on “Agronomy and Biotechnology of Thaumatococcus danielli”.

There was also a panel of discussion on the topic “Processing and Scale-up Production of Thaumatin from Thaumatococcus danielli”. The discussants were Dr. C. C. Igwe, Director, Chemical, Fibre and Environmental Technology (CFET) Department, FIIRO and Dr. W. B. Asiru, Director, Project Design and Development (PDD) Department.

Also present at the epoch making conference were: Director-General/CEO, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Dr. Hussaini Ibrahim represented by Mr. Mohammed Sheriff Musa and Prof. O. Magbegbeola, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos (CMUL), Idi-Araba, Lagos.

The conference focused on Thaumatin, the protein from Thaumatococcus danielli as a major alternate sweetener/flavovour enhancer with positive health implications and huge economic potentials for Nigeria and Africa at large. At the conference, the under-listed were observed:

1. That, interRNAS is an organization formed to serve the interests of Academicians, Industrialists, Scientists, Engineers, Entrepreneurs and others, in the broad area of alternate sweeteners to create a platform for interactions with these groups and government, society and the general public with a view to promoting the economic importance of local sweeteners through organized conferences, workshops, seminars and exhibitions towards the healthy utilization of alternate sweeteners.
2. That, the plant Thaumatococcus danielli is a natural source for the production of Thaumatin but now endangered, going fast into extinction and should therefore be conserved and its propagation promoted.
3. That, there is need for Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to embark on spatial mapping and data mining of Thaumatococcus danielli; promote its development and utilization as a source of raw materials for industrial use in Nigeria.
4. That, there is need for advocacy to government on the potentials, benefits and the economic value of Thaumatococcus danielli and this should be extended to the rural communities.
5. That, it is crucial for governments (Federal, State and Local) in Nigeria to fund research on indigenous knowledge and technology in Thaumatococcus danielli for national development.
6. That, there is need for interRNAS to come up with a strategic plan for processing and product-development that will hasten the engineering design and application of Thaumatococcus danielli for industrial use.

Recommendations:

In view of the above observations, the conference recommends the following that:

1. RMRDC should collaborate with other relevant agencies to ensure the conservation and propagation of Thaumatococcus danielli.
2. Based on the available research findings, government as a matter of urgency through FIIRO with other relevant stakeholders should fund the scaling up of Thaumatococcus danielli processing to industrial level.
3. interRNAS should be the hub of harnessing proposals and research findings on Thaumatococcus danielli.
4. The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology as the parent Ministry and the custodian of the National policy on Science, Technology and Innovations should coordinate and fund researches in Thaumatococcus danielli.

For more details: contact www.interrnas.net