The Federal Government has revealed its intention to make available statistics of progress recorded in various sectors of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for easy tracking of activities in the sector.
The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi, made this known during the 19th meeting of the National Council on Science Technology and Innovation (NCSTI) which ended today in Abuja.
Abdullahi, who noted that the unavailability of data has caused the nation to lag behind in terms of global competitiveness index, charged scientists, researchers and innovators to rise up and provide verifiable statistics of the various progress made so far by Nigerians in STI.
According to the minister, despite gains made in the past years, Nigeria still remains low in the 2021 ranking of the global innovation index. This, he added, resulted from a lack of data from activities in the innovation space.
He further stated that Nigerians have made giant strides in invention and innovation but they are not adequately captured, as data from relevant Institutions do not meet present needs.
Abdullahi further said that one of the major challenges facing science, technology and innovation sector in developing countries like Nigeria is funding, adding that government needs to invest heavily in research and development to spur industrialisation and improve the livelihood of Nigerians.
In his goodwill message, the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwolu, said funding of research and development has to be sustained to boost STI.
Sanwolu, who was represented by the commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Hakeem Fahm, further appreciated the leadership of the FMSTI for setting the standards and also recognising that the nation has to invest in research.
Earlier, the deputy chairman, House Committee on Science and Research Institutions, Hon. Jafaru Mohammed, who appreciated the synergy among the stakeholders within Nigeria’s scientific ecosystem, called for more effort to be directed towards scientific innovations.
