Onu advocates inclusion of innovation in educational curriculum

Dr Ogbonaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, has called for review of the nation’s educational curriculum to include creativity and innovation, as subjects, to promote national growth.
Onu said this in a statement signed by Catherine Ejuamah,the Senior Information Officer of the ministry on Friday in Abuja.
Ejuamah said the Minister gave the advice while addressing the management and members of staff the Nigerian Institute of Food, Science and Technology (NIFST), who were on a courtesy visit to his office.
He said that there was the need for educational institutions to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to achieve targets to ensure that positive ideas and creativity were added to the academic curriculum.
Onu said by so Nigeria would start producing problem solvers, team workers, innovative researchers and enhance creativity skills to solve prevailing challenges.
Onu said, “The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has achieved a very high level of self-reliance in food security and food safety.
“Many agencies under the supervision of the Ministry know the importance of food security and safety.
“This is because their interest is to grow food crops, harvest, efficiently store and process them in a way that even when it is off season, food will be available.’’
The minister identified support of all forms of research innovations, anywhere and at any level in the country, as key mandate of the ministry.
He noted that Nigeria was in transitional phase, moving from an economy based on natural resources and commodity to an innovative and knowledge-driven one.
Earlier in his remark, Mr Oluwole Toye, National President of NIFST, said the institute had over 9,000 professionals across academia, research institutes, government, regulatory agencies, food and allied industries within and outside the country.
“Our mission, here, is to seek approval of the Minister to approve a committee to interface with NIFST on implementation of the charter Act.
“To constitute the Council in accordance with the law, inaugurate the council and help them to set up the secretariat,” Toye said. (NAN).