President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will reposition Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) as a national priority to guarantee sustainability, high standard of living and quality of life for Nigerians.
The president, who stated this in Abuja on Thursday at the maiden meeting of the National Research and Innovation Council (NIRC), said Federal Government would fast-track industrial and economic development through the STI.
According
to him, his administration’s determination to secure the nation, grow
the economy, create jobs and fight crime can best be achieved through
the promotion of science and technology.
“I am
aware that Nigeria must accord high priority to Science and Technology
if it must take it rightful place among the leading economies in the
modern world.
“Nigeria’s vision of
becoming one of the twenty largest economies in the world by the year
2020 is only attainable when Science, Technology and Innovation are
fully integrated into our national socio-economic development process.
“That process will now be fast tracked with the coming on board of this Council.
“I
wish to assure this Council of my determination and commitment to
ensure that as a nation, we will invest appropriately in Science,
Technology and Innovation (STI) in order to guarantee our
competitiveness both continentally and globally.
“Our
goal to secure our nation, grow our economy, create jobs and fight
crime can best be achieved if we embrace science and technology,’’ he said.
The
president expressed the hope that the nation’s research and innovation
output would be measured by number of Intellectual Property such as
patents granted and not only by the number of articles published in
scholarly journals.
According to him, by this
action, Nigeria will become a centre of discoveries, inventions and
innovation in all fields of science and technology.
“Before long we should be in a position to produce Nobel Laureates in the sciences.’’
President
Buhari noted that government structure of the NRIC provided for the
establishment of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
He
said the committee, consisting of technocrats from the various relevant
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the Organized Private
Sector (OPS), was meant to ensure full implementation of resolutions of
the NRIC
