By Hillary Asemota
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, his counterpart Minister of State, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi and Commissioners of STI from across the country met on Tuesday to fine-tune the framework on the deployment of the 0.5% allocation from the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to leapfrog research and Innovation for Nigeria’s economic greatness and the overall wellbeing of every Nigerian.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2021 through the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, declared that a minimum of 0.5% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be allocated for Scientists and Innovators to carry out their research and development on their inventions
The stakeholders’ event which held at the Headquarters of the Raw Material and Research Development Council (RMRDC) in Abuja, attracted Commissioners and their Representatives from Taraba, Bornu, Delta, Niger, Katsina, Edo, Nasarawa, Bauchi and Gombe States.
Onu while commending the courage of President Muhammadu Buhari for the approval of the dedicated funding, solicited the support of the 36 Governors through their Commissioners, adding that every effort should be made to reposition Nigeria on the trajectory of economic greatness and industrialization.
According to him, the economic success as well as the industrial leadership of nations and corporate bodies are based on STI, explaining that this guarantees continuous economic growth and promotes inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
He explained that if Nigeria must be truly great, STI must be effectively deployed and utilized for nation building.
He said: “The National Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policy articulates the establishment of both the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) and the National Research Innovation Fund (NRIF). These will help the realization of viable National System of Innovation focusing on inclusive growth and facilitating federal, sectoral, regional, state and local innovations.
“This important meeting offers us the opportunity to work out strategies for attaining the implementation of 0.5% of the GDP to Science and Technology sector for research and innovation in Nigeria.
“This will promote and facilitate creativity, innovation, invention, and progress with the attendant socio-economic benefits of achieving an all-inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development.”
In his remark, the Minister of State for STI, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, said Nigeria must emulate China, Singapore and other Asian Tiger countries, by taking a decisive action in order to put the nation on the path of a viable and sustainable economic growth and rapid transformation.
He said: “There is no gain saying the fact that the Buhari Administration has dedicated so much energy to turnaround and upgrade decayed R/D infrastructures in the nation’s institutes through increase in budgetary allocation to STI in the last 6 years, thus resulting in socio-economic benefits such as jobs and wealth creation, astronomical increase in number of patents, food, security and improved standard of living.”
According to him, the federal government has further resolved to allocate 0.5% to research and development sector in a bid to fully actualize her diversification agenda.
Abdullahi, said the ministry will continue to collaborate with the 36 State Governments and the FCT to fashion out strategies on how to effectively implement the 0.5% allocation to the sector in an effort to transform the economy from resourced-based to knowledge-based economy driven by innovation.
In her contribution, the Delta State Commissioner of Science Technology, Mrs. Jennifer Adasen Efeviroro, while commending the federal government for the allocation said the time is now to move into deployment of STI for the transformation of Nigeria from being a dependent and consumer nation to exporting nation through rapid industrialization and manufacturing of her abundant resources.
However, she added that concerted efforts be made to increase the allocation from 0.5% to 1% as advocated by the UNESCO and the Africa Union (AU).
The Niger State Commissioner for Tertiary Education Prof. Abubakar Aliu, urged the Minister set up an implementation committee on the deployment of the fund, adding that Dr. Onu, has seen over the years that the problem in STI has been in the areas of implementation and funding.
Therefore, he added that the Minister rightly advised the President Buhari to dedicate 0.5% of our GDP to STI meaning that Nigeria will soon be like China.
The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Umar El-Goku, said Nasarawa state is ready to collaborate with federal government in jumpstarting Nigeria’s industrialization on the effective utilization of the 0.5% GDP research fund.
Like his counterparts, he noted that the major challenge remains implementation and sustainability of the policy.
He said: “Priority should be given to states, out of this 0.5% if we can dedicate 0.2% to states so as to encourage local innovations and technologies because we cannot continue to depend on foreign technologies and then give 0.1% to tertiary institutions and 0.2% to other sectors in the country.
“And if we can enact that will make compulsory for this sharing formula to go consistently to states, tertiary institutions and other sectors in the country or else somebody will wake up one day and begin play with this laudable vision of PMB. We also plead that the 0.5% be increased to 1%.”
Still on implementation, the Edo State Commissioner of Science Technology who was represented by Mrs. Birgitta Eno Okodugha, acknowledged that no nation can develop without STI, stressing that the administration of Godwin Obaseki, has realized this by investing heavily in STI.
The Commissioner however advised the federal government that the dedicated fund should be clearly spelt out in percentage terms and prioritized areas like academia and the private sector.
Dr. Aishatu Umar Maigari, the Commissioner of Science, Technology and Innovation in Gombe State, while adding her voice on the strategies applauded the federal government for approving the fund to encourage innovation and research.
While advocating for synergies in STI sector, she stressed that Gombe State is produced to produced innovators who can tap from the fund to perfect their inventions for Nigeria’s industrial growth and development.
She added: “We need to put in place a robust template and relationship should be enhanced while making the funds available to innovators.
“My takeaway from this consultative meeting is that a joint communique should be made available to President Muhammadu Buhari and also be escalated to the National Executive Council (NEC) for approval.”
The Borno State Commissioner for Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Baba-Gana Mustapha Malembe, acknowledged that STI is the backbone of any developing nation.
He called on the federal government to provide a proper and favourable guideline for the states to be able to key-in into the implementation of the fund.
He recalled that the Borno State ICT infrastructure has been destroyed by activities of Boko Haram stressing that the telephone networks were also affected and therefore the state will appreciate some special concession on the implementation of the fund that will benefit the citizens.
He however said that the Ministry has started compiling the activities of young innovators since 2019, stressing that the Governor also gave directive on the diagnosis of kidney disease in the state when it was discovered that there were upsurges of kidney challenges in the state hospitals. The ministry was directed to find out the major causes of this disease in the state.
He said: “I request that the guideline and implementation process be made available so that young innovators from the state can benefit from the fund.”