By Obisue Emmanuel
Federal Government has reiterated it’s resolve to build the nation’s economy around science and technology to help in effectively tackling most of its challenges and improve the economy.
President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, gave this assurance at the opening ceremony of the Science, Technology and Innovation EXPO in Enugu.
The president noted that science and technology is needed to effectively take Nigeria to “the next level of a prosperous, strong and stable economy “.
He also reminded that his administration has since employed the use of science and technology to crystalize the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, and had also applied it in other sectors of the economy.
“This was further reinforced with the issuance of the Executive Order No. 005 (E05) which directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of National Security Projects and also maximise in-country capacity in all contracts and transactions with science , engineering and technology.
“The main objective of the E05 was the development of indigenous capacity in science and engineering for the promotion of technological innovation needed to drive national competitiveness, productivity and economic activities, and to further enhance the achievement of the nation’s development goals across all sectors of the economy, ” he added.
He further assured that the government will provide intervention funds to strengthen Research and Development, adding that the National Science Research and Innovation Fund Bill was before the National Assembly, to be passed into law soon.
The president called on private sector players to support the initiative by directly investing and partnering with Nigerian Universities and Research Institutions.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, speaking earlier, noted that the current administration has moved away from the post independent era of depending solely on oil, by building a knowledge-based economy.
He explained that an effective use of science and technology will see the country manufacture locally and even export it’s surplus, adding that the nation was already making remarkable progress in that regard.
“The level of innovation, creativity and inventiveness of our people within this period, has grown tremendously.
“There are strong signs that science and technology can do for Nigeria what it has done for India, China, South Korea and even the United States of America, ” he concluded.
