COMMENTARIES, lectures, and seminars that bemoan the unacceptable low level of development of science and technology in Nigeria have almost turned into 'clich�s' due to their frequency. This acknowledgement notwithstanding, keeping mum on an extremely important subject such as this especially at this period of untold economic hardship and plummeting crude oil price exacerbated by the present global economic recession, will amount to an unimaginable disservice to our beloved country. Today, science and technology have become and will continue to be a measure of any nation's development and success; it has also become a measure of respect that any nation and its citizens command in the comity of nations.
These essential realizations explain why visionary and innovative leaders always strive to evolve strategic roadmaps and practical policies aimed at launching as well as keeping their nations on the world's science and technology map. Unfortunately, Nigeria has continued to watch and wonder helplessly from the sideline, and in most cases, found itself crawling and slipping away while other nations solidify their footings and race on the fast lane towards technological development and advancement.
Due to our inability to look inwards, challenge ourselves, act rightly and proactively, we have found ourselves at the mercy of other nations, and have now been forced to rely heavily on them to provide for us even those basic necessities of life which we ought to provide for ourselves, neglecting both the long term economic and national security implications. It is quite difficult to overstate the need for a reversal of this ugly situation if we are serious in creating the required technological and manufacturing base needed to jump-start our economy and put our idle, able-bodied and willing to work citizens to work.
The current situation where science teaching and learning ranging from the elementary level to the university level are handled as an exercise in the abstract due to inadequately prepared teachers and lack of basic infrastructures is extremely unhelpful. This results in our educational system producing science graduates with shaky foundations and skills that are completely disconnected from industrial realities, and as a result, are unable to make any meaningful contribution to our efforts at technological breakthrough.
It must be pointed out that no nation in history has ever attained scientific and technological development serendipitously or by tacitly running an economy that coerces its first grade science and engineering graduates, who would have made excellent careers in science and engineering research, into becoming chartered accountants and chartered bankers as it is the case in Nigeria today - a serious system flaw, an unsustainable and frightening scenario. Nations have only climbed up the science and technology ladder by investing conscious efforts and resources backed up by smartly crafted policy guidelines.
A reversal of our present technological misfortunes rests largely on our government. An immediate state of emergency should be declared on this crucial sector of our national economy and security, which should be followed up with sound policies and genuine commitment. One of the simplest take-off points is to look at functional models put in place by the developed nations such as United States, which have been successfully replicated by most developing countries. The government should prioritize science and technology education by setting up a functional and pragmatic agency - a Nigerian version of the U. S. National Science Foundation, which encourages and motivates researchers and students through effective coordination and provision of research funds. These research grants are imperative in the acquisition of needed equipment and recruitment of top-flight manpower.
It is strange, disheartening and smacks of lack of focus when one realizes that after decades of raking in tons of petro-dollars, an oil-rich and big country like Nigeria cannot boast of a single functional modern science research centre or a National laboratory. Needless to say that there exists no equipped and modern laboratory in our universities, and as such, no serious research goes on in them. This is simply unacceptable and in contrast with most developing, less endowed and smaller nations. A functional and well-equipped national laboratory serves as a brainstorming and research hub for scientists and engineers as well as a training center for up-coming scientists. It also serves as an invaluable partner to the universities since it would encourage research collaborations and also afford university teachers and students possible access to more expensive and sophisticated equipment that may be unavailable in the university laboratories. Such a center automatically helps in bridging the gap between industry and science graduates by affording them the opportunity of carrying out real-life researches as well as working with even industrial researchers that use the center, in the course of their undergraduate and graduate studies. More importantly, it would in no small means help in lending credibility to our educational system because of its ability to spur serious researches and research publications by our researchers/university teachers and students in world-class peer reviewed journals.
Putting in place coordinated science and technology policies as well as providing the requisite infrastructures and conducive environment, have the natural effect of not only reducing brain-drain, but also serve as a necessary vehicle for luring foreign-based Nigerian scientists and engineers home. This approach has worked for countries like China, Singapore and South Korea etc, and would definitely work for Nigeria. In the course of interactions with Nigerians in Europe and America, particularly the scientists, and recognizing the decency and hardworking spirit of Nigerians, their unity in common challenges and common hopes as well as their pride in seeing our nation succeed, it is without doubt that most foreign-based Nigerian scientists would be willing to spend some time in such a center at least in the form of guest/visiting scientists as a way of chipping in to our nation's quest for technological development.
Most Asian scientists in European and American universities hold parallel positions in such research centers and universities in their native countries, and spend a sizeable chunk of their time there. Such platforms for collaborations will succeed in establishing a profound link between home-based and foreign-based scientists and promote effective sharing of ideas and information.
Considering that we cannot afford to simply watch and wait on our luck to shine us out of our present science and technology hole; considering that our economy will remain primitive and vulnerable to the slightest downward shift in the price of crude oil as long as we continue to lack the technological base necessary for robust and sustainable economic prosperity; considering that our country cannot be accorded its due respect as long as it continues to take a back seat in science and technology; considering that our unemployment and crime rates will continue to be in double digits as long as we continue to lack the technical know-how required for a guaranteed and sustainable industrial and manufacturing base pertinent in job creation, and jump-starting of our economy; considering that our national economy and security will continue to be endangered as long as we keep relying on foreign expertise to build our refineries and even explore our natural resources; considering that our citizens will continue to die of preventable and curable ailments as long as we continue to lack the technology necessary to manufacture essential medical equipment needed for efficient health-care delivery.
Considering that the promise of a stable power supply to our people will continue to be a political campaign ritual as long as we keep importing not only the power transformers, but the spare parts as well; considering that our cities will continue to be overwhelmed by wastes and waste management as long as we continue to lack the technology needed for efficient waste recycling, our government must then get serious now and waste no further time in making science and technology education and research, a top national priority. We must not turn the page on this bitter reality staring us right in the face; rather, we must pick up ourselves, dust off ourselves, tap into our better angels, bring to the fore that irrepressible Nigerian spirit, and prove once more that we are not as unfocused and visionless as our politics and policies might suggest.COMMENTARIES, lectures, and seminars that bemoan the unacceptable low level of development of science and technology in Nigeria have almost turned into 'clich�s' due to their frequency. This acknowledgement notwithstanding, keeping mum on an extremely important subject such as this especially at this period of untold economic hardship and plummeting crude oil price exacerbated by the present global economic recession, will amount to an unimaginable disservice to our beloved country. Today, science and technology have become and will continue to be a measure of any nation's development and success; it has also become a measure of respect that any nation and its citizens command in the comity of nations.
These essential realizations explain why visionary and innovative leaders always strive to evolve strategic roadmaps and practical policies aimed at launching as well as keeping their nations on the world's science and technology map. Unfortunately, Nigeria has continued to watch and wonder helplessly from the sideline, and in most cases, found itself crawling and slipping away while other nations solidify their footings and race on the fast lane towards technological development and advancement.
Due to our inability to look inwards, challenge ourselves, act rightly and proactively, we have found ourselves at the mercy of other nations, and have now been forced to rely heavily on them to provide for us even those basic necessities of life which we ought to provide for ourselves, neglecting both the long term economic and national security implications. It is quite difficult to overstate the need for a reversal of this ugly situation if we are serious in creating the required technological and manufacturing base needed to jump-start our economy and put our idle, able-bodied and willing to work citizens to work.
The current situation where science teaching and learning ranging from the elementary level to the university level are handled as an exercise in the abstract due to inadequately prepared teachers and lack of basic infrastructures is extremely unhelpful. This results in our educational system producing science graduates with shaky foundations and skills that are completely disconnected from industrial realities, and as a result, are unable to make any meaningful contribution to our efforts at technological breakthrough.
It must be pointed out that no nation in history has ever attained scientific and technological development serendipitously or by tacitly running an economy that coerces its first grade science and engineering graduates, who would have made excellent careers in science and engineering research, into becoming chartered accountants and chartered bankers as it is the case in Nigeria today - a serious system flaw, an unsustainable and frightening scenario. Nations have only climbed up the science and technology ladder by investing conscious efforts and resources backed up by smartly crafted policy guidelines.
A reversal of our present technological misfortunes rests largely on our government. An immediate state of emergency should be declared on this crucial sector of our national economy and security, which should be followed up with sound policies and genuine commitment. One of the simplest take-off points is to look at functional models put in place by the developed nations such as United States, which have been successfully replicated by most developing countries. The government should prioritize science and technology education by setting up a functional and pragmatic agency - a Nigerian version of the U. S. National Science Foundation, which encourages and motivates researchers and students through effective coordination and provision of research funds. These research grants are imperative in the acquisition of needed equipment and recruitment of top-flight manpower.
It is strange, disheartening and smacks of lack of focus when one realizes that after decades of raking in tons of petro-dollars, an oil-rich and big country like Nigeria cannot boast of a single functional modern science research centre or a National laboratory. Needless to say that there exists no equipped and modern laboratory in our universities, and as such, no serious research goes on in them. This is simply unacceptable and in contrast with most developing, less endowed and smaller nations. A functional and well-equipped national laboratory serves as a brainstorming and research hub for scientists and engineers as well as a training center for up-coming scientists. It also serves as an invaluable partner to the universities since it would encourage research collaborations and also afford university teachers and students possible access to more expensive and sophisticated equipment that may be unavailable in the university laboratories. Such a center automatically helps in bridging the gap between industry and science graduates by affording them the opportunity of carrying out real-life researches as well as working with even industrial researchers that use the center, in the course of their undergraduate and graduate studies. More importantly, it would in no small means help in lending credibility to our educational system because of its ability to spur serious researches and research publications by our researchers/university teachers and students in world-class peer reviewed journals.
Putting in place coordinated science and technology policies as well as providing the requisite infrastructures and conducive environment, have the natural effect of not only reducing brain-drain, but also serve as a necessary vehicle for luring foreign-based Nigerian scientists and engineers home. This approach has worked for countries like China, Singapore and South Korea etc, and would definitely work for Nigeria. In the course of interactions with Nigerians in Europe and America, particularly the scientists, and recognizing the decency and hardworking spirit of Nigerians, their unity in common challenges and common hopes as well as their pride in seeing our nation succeed, it is without doubt that most foreign-based Nigerian scientists would be willing to spend some time in such a center at least in the form of guest/visiting scientists as a way of chipping in to our nation's quest for technological development.
Most Asian scientists in European and American universities hold parallel positions in such research centers and universities in their native countries, and spend a sizeable chunk of their time there. Such platforms for collaborations will succeed in establishing a profound link between home-based and foreign-based scientists and promote effective sharing of ideas and information.
Considering that we cannot afford to simply watch and wait on our luck to shine us out of our present science and technology hole; considering that our economy will remain primitive and vulnerable to the slightest downward shift in the price of crude oil as long as we continue to lack the technological base necessary for robust and sustainable economic prosperity; considering that our country cannot be accorded its due respect as long as it continues to take a back seat in science and technology; considering that our unemployment and crime rates will continue to be in double digits as long as we continue to lack the technical know-how required for a guaranteed and sustainable industrial and manufacturing base pertinent in job creation, and jump-starting of our economy; considering that our national economy and security will continue to be endangered as long as we keep relying on foreign expertise to build our refineries and even explore our natural resources; considering that our citizens will continue to die of preventable and curable ailments as long as we continue to lack the technology necessary to manufacture essential medical equipment needed for efficient health-care delivery.
Considering that the promise of a stable power supply to our people will continue to be a political campaign ritual as long as we keep importing not only the power transformers, but the spare parts as well; considering that our cities will continue to be overwhelmed by wastes and waste management as long as we continue to lack the technology needed for efficient waste recycling, our government must then get serious now and waste no further time in making science and technology education and research, a top national priority. We must not turn the page on this bitter reality staring us right in the face; rather, we must pick up ourselves, dust off ourselves, tap into our better angels, bring to the fore that irrepressible Nigerian spirit, and prove once more that we are not as unfocused and visionless as our politics and policies might suggest.
source: Nairabest
