By Victoria Onyisi
Science and Technology Advocacy Initiative (SYNTECH), a coalition of four (4) NGOs, has commended the call by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology (IST), Chief Uche Nnaji, for full implementation of the Federal Government’s Executive Order No 5.
The EO5 was approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 is aimed at propelling the country in the direction of industrialization, innovation and technological advancement.
Speaking recently with Journalists in Abuja, the Minister explained that the Order puts emphasis on the utilization innovation, science and technology instruments and platforms for a viable and sustainable economic growth and rapid transformation of the national economy.
The Minister acknowledged that the order aligned with the 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The EO5, according to Nnaji is a transformative policy designed to drive innovation, promote science and technology, and catalyse Nigeria’s economic diversification, technological advancement, promotion of domestic and foreign investments.
SYNTECH’s PRO, Mr. Samuel Ogbeifun, in a statement made available to the media over the week end, said the National Co-Ordinator of SYNTECH, a Non-governmental Coalition, Engr. Faith Nwadishi, in a reaction to the Minister’s remarks said the pronouncement was “A bold step on the right direction, adding that it will serve as catalyst for advancing IST adoption and adaptation utilization for building genuine local capacity for the development of both human and material resources of the country.
“Nobody climbs a tree from the top. The development of any country must start from the home front, making its way up the ladder for sustainable growth and development.
“Kick-starting economic transformation with the instruments of Science, Technology, and Innovation holds the fundamental keys and road map to Nigeria’s growth and development. It is in the regard that SYNTECH wishes to express its unalloyed determination to build the needed synergy with the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation (STI) and other stakeholders to enable Nigeria meet up with the rest of the world in the spheres of science and technology.”
“SYNTECH believes the long-awaited policy trust needed to build effective collaboration and partnership has been given by the Presidential Order No.5, so the nation, stakeholders, research institutions, development partners and Civil Societies cannot afford to keep silent anymore, but to join forces with the government to develop home-grown capacity to redesign, reproduce and duplicate any infrastructure to achieve Made-in-Nigeria goods and services.” Nwadishi said.
Realizing that the IST had been a neglected sector since the nation’s 63 years of independence, SYNTECH, said it had resolved not only to speak and advocate promotion of the sector, but it will carry out projects and programmes including policy initiatives to assist the Ministry and stakeholders in the areas of awareness creation, building of national consensus on the relevance of science and technology optimization in order to tackle unemployment and poverty in Nigeria.
To this end, SYNTECH hopes to bring the STI to the front burner of national discourse soon in its advocacy programmes, and stimulate national debates on what needs to be done to pull Nigeria out of the dependency syndrome that has resulted in the unabated importation of goods and services into the country, thereby hampering home-grown and sustainable development potentials of the country.
The National Co-Ordinator said the group, which is non-partisan, is committed to change the sad narrative of neglect of the Science, Technology and Innovation component of Nigeria’s development masterplan and implementation within the nation’s political economy, while also expressing optimism to ultimately attract national and international recognitions leading to the growth of domestic products and services in Nigeria.
Our mission, according to Nwadishi, is to participate in all activities aimed at enhancing quality of lives of fellow citizens, adding that the NGO is determined to engage institutions to carry out actions amongst the general populace, using informed analysis, recommendations and programmes channeled towards poverty eradication, promotion of a viable political economy direction and for the general development of the society.
