Challenges of Science and Technology – The way forward

Address by Dr. Felix N. C. Oragwu, FSAN, at NASENI Event in Abuja,

First before speaking on the Contents of this Address, which I don’t intend to read, let me make the following observations, namely,(a) that Technology and Wealth of Nations are as in-separable as Siamese Twins, (b) that the Status of the Economy of any Nation is a function of the agricultural /mineral commodity endowment and the endogenous domestic capacity to produce modern technologies and industrial goods in the economy and (c) that the recent Nigeria’s President Executive Order is a directive for the following, namely,

• Nigeria’s Economy to move away from near total dependence on imported technologies and imported industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) respectively, Nation to technology /industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) producing / manufacturing / exporting Nation for domestic use and for export to global World Market,
• Nigeria’s domestic Science and Technology activities, operating since 1899, should  play their historic role in Nigeria as an instrument for  transforming Nigeria’s Economy from primary agricultural Commodity/primary raw (solid, liquid and gaseous) minerals  based Economy to a globally competitive Industrial Economy, capable of producing / manufacturing modern Technologies and Industrial goods,
• Nigeria should now be able to export some of her Agricultural / Mineral Commodities, in processed forms to add value to them in the World global Market, and
• Nigeria should be in a position after over 100 years (1899-2017) of S&T activities to get the latter (S&T activities in Nigeria) to play its (S&T) historic role of industrial transformation of Nigeria and to use domestic Science and Technology activities as a key instrument for realizing Nigeria’s proposed Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, 2017-2020.

One other Observation before speaking on my present Address, is to remind Nigeria’s Stakeholders in S&T Activities for development, that a similar Key Note Address, organized by REPTEM in 1999 on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) on the First Prof. Gordian Ezekwe Memorial Lecture in 1999, was given by me. The Title of that Key- Note Address of 1999 is “Technological Developments in the 21^st Century AD: A Challenge for Developing Countries “. That particular Address did make the following forecasts / predictions in Technology, Economy and Industrial Goods Development in the 21^st Century AD, which I believed should have guided the Nigeria’s Policies / Economic development Tasks in domestic Technology Innovation, Industrialization and Research and Development (R&D) Activities in the 21^st Century, namely,

• Emerging New Materials (Ceramic composites, new fine polymers, new metals etc.) Technology Developments, and their potential adverse impact on Nigeria’s / Africa’s Economy and Export of primary raw Agricultural / Mineral Commodities,
• Information Communication Technology Developments / Digital Economy (i.e. coupling fast computers to Telecommunication networks in a world- wide web) and potential new ways of doing businesses including Banking transactions in the World Economies,
• Genetic Technological Developments including genetic modification of Crops and livestock and their impact on conventional Agricultural including Food commodities / Human health,
• Brain Technological Developments (Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Position Emission Tomography Technics), and their human Health implications,
• Energy Sources related Technologies developments, and their impact on existing natural Sources of Energy including Coal and crude Petroleum resources,
• Environmentally friendly Technologies Developments (example Green Energy Technics), in the light of the ongoing Climate Change including deforestation, flooding among other environmental disasters, respectively.

One does not need a South-Sayer to know that the above Developments will shape the industrial and economic developments and human life in the 21^st Century AD and that Nigeria / Africa should brace themselves for the Challenges of these far-reaching Changes and Developments.

I remember that, that in my Address of 1999, which was Chaired by the then Federal Minister of Science and Technology, retired Army General Moma, was emailed intact to FMST Headquarters and to all the FMST R&D Institutions and S&T Agencies.  We are now in the 18^th Year of the 21^st Century AD. The Question, one may wish to ask, is what has been done to mitigate or the reaction of Nigeria’s S&T Community / Economy to the above forecasted Challenges since the Year 2000.  We are now in the Year, 2018, that is 18 years after, and I have not seen any relevant Technology / Industrial Policy in place to address these potential Changes / Challenges in Nigeria’s Economy. 

Now the Challenges of Science, Technology and Industrialization Activities in Nigeria’s Economy, in Focus:

Now I want to speak on the Contents / direction of this Address, now before you, which is focused on the State of domestic endogenous capability and or capacity for the production / manufacture of Technologies of production and services and the industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial Materials) respectively in Nigeria’s Economy both for domestic use and for exports to the Global World Market. We all know at least that Technology is the most critical instrument for Wealth creation in any Economy and that the Economic Recession is the absence of Wealth in a Nation. I believe that the above stated Nigeria’s President Executive Orders on Nigeria’s Economic Growth and Development in the period 2017-2020 is a wake-up call for the Stakeholders in Technology and Economy to get up and redress the situation.      

So, what do “Science, Technology and Technology Innovation Activities” in Nigeria’s Economy really mean? Do S&T Activities now play their historic role in Nigeria’s Economic Growth and Development? If not, what is Nigeria doing to bring this about. We all know for sure that S&T activities consist of (i) education and research in the Sciences, Physical, Biological, Engineering, Agricultural and Medical Sciences, respectively (ii) education / training of middle level Technologists and Technicians to acquire the technical and professional skills of technologies and industrial goods production  (iii) the development of the output of Scientific Research including inventions and discoveries into modern Technologies of production and Services and industrial goods in the Economy and (iv) that the technology Innovation in the economy is no more than the upgrading, the modification and or the improvement of existing Technologies to become new Technologies. Are these Activities really taking place in Nigeria? If these Activities are not taking place in Nigeria, how can Nigeria prevent Recurring Economic Recession, joblessness and poverty or how can Nigeria leapfrog into modern Technologies of production and services in her economy and or into production of globally competitive Industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) for domestic use and for export, as is the case of the present fast industrializing and fast growing Nations of the World such as China, India, South Korea and Brazil, which are now Members of the Top 20 Industrial Nations of the World and in top competition with industrial Europe, North America and Japan.  Nigeria must examine what are the problems of S&T activities in Nigeria to make it so unproductive, uncreative, and what to do to resolve whatever these difficulties are.

First a Word on the Issue of “Technology and Wealth of Nations”:

For Purposes of this Address, issues dealt with are mostly derived from my recent Book titled “Technology and Wealth of Nations”.  In this voluminous Book of over 700 pages, Technology is defined as modern Science- based Technic of Production and Services in the Economy, namely, equipment, machines, scientific measuring and control instruments including laboratory instruments and fast computers, the engineering tools including hand tools and machine tools, etc. powered mostly by artificial Energy such as Electricity.

Wealth on the other hand is primarily defined as
(a) primary raw Agricultural Commodities and raw Minerals (solid, liquid and gaseous) Commodities and
(b) industrial capital goods, consumer goods including processed food items, and the industrial materials including organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals and special chemicals such as fertilizers and explosives, now massively imported into Nigeria. 

The Book also for completeness touched on the Conventional or Traditional economy of human heritage whose Technics of production and services are mostly hoes and cutlasses powered by human energy and the goods from this economy which consist mainly of natural Agricultural Commodities such as cotton, cocoa, palm oil and palm kernel, rubber, rice, grains, tomatoes, tubers, fruits and vegetables, livestock hides and skins and the Natural minerals including solid, liquid and gaseous minerals. Is Nigeria Education and Economic development Policies addressing these critical Issues of Life and Living in Nigeria? However, this Address is primarily concerned with the Industrial Economy Issues or what is now often referred to as Technology knowledge and Research Industry Economy, which is a creation of Science and Technology and human Effort.  

Re-iteration for comprehension, of what constitute S&T Activities for development are in any Economy?

To understand and appreciate the above Challenges faced by Science and Technology (S&T) / Industrialization in Nigeria economy, it is necessary / expedient to reiterate that Science and Technology (S&T) is not a Manna from Heaven but that of Human Effort and Ingenuity, and that S&T activities in any economy, consists of the following activities, namely,

(a) Education and training in the Disciplines of Science and Technology, namely Physical, Biological, Agricultural, Engineering, and Medical Sciences, respectively, normally taking place in Universities and related Academies,

(b) Scientific Research (basic and problem oriented) for improved scientific knowledge and for understanding the intricacies of the above- named Disciplines of Science and or the problems of Agriculture and Medicine, respectively, normally served by the output of Scientific Research,

(c) Education and training of middle level Technologists and lower level Technicians to acquire technical skills of production and services in the economy including modern Technology production, and professional and technical skills for engineering design and fabrication, welding skills. nuts and bolts making, molding skills, metal fabrication, rolling and fixing skills, panel making, glass blowing skills, etc. for use in the tasks of technology production, assembling of industrial plants and manufacture of industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) in the economy, which activities mostly take place in Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical colleges and related Crafts Schools and in mostly the ground floor of industrial production and manufacturing Enterprises,     

(d) Research and Development (R&D) which entails namely, the application and or conversion of scientific knowledge, the discoveries and the inventions arising from Scientific Research into prototype technics (i.e. technologies) of production and services)  in the economy and or industrial goods ( i.e. goods outside Natural goods) including capital equipment, machines, engineering tools, measuring and control instruments, etc. , consumer items and industrial materials), production and manufacture, respectively, in the economy, This Activity takes place in R&D / Technology production institutions / agencies. I will later elaborate further on R&D activities, using the famous Alfred Nobel R&D work on the commercialization of discovered Nitroglycerine as Explosives for use in economic services,

(e) Mass production and manufacture of modern technologies and industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials} for use in the economy and for export, and

(f) Technology Innovation, which consists namely upgrading, modification and or improvement of existing Technologies to become new Technologies in the economy. 

Science Policy Development deals with items (a) to (c) while Technology Development Policy deals with Items (d) to (f), above, respectively, in any Economy or Nation. The Question really waiting for Answers, is can we say that the above Activities now take place in Nigeria? That will lead us to examine the real Status and the Challenges of Science and Technology Activities in the Economic Development of Nigeria, as a Nation State of over 150 ethnic Nationalities.   

Focus on the specific enduring Challenges of S&T / Industrialization Activities in Nigeria’s Economy:

Nigeria as a Nation State of over 150 differing ethnic Nationalities, has been involved for over one hundred years, starting from 1899 to present, in (a) Human Capital development in Science and Technology Activities, aimed at promoting the productivity and growth of Commodity and Industrial Economy in Nigeria. Before going into the details of these enduring Challenges, it is useful to first clearly state, for avoidance of doubt, that Nigeria has built up, both in quantity and in quality, a large reservoir of well- trained, highly talented and highly knowledgeable Scientists and Engineers, equal to any in the World, in most aspects of Science and Technology Disciplines, be it Physical, Biological, Engineering, Agricultural, and Medical Sciences, respectively.  However, one must also admit that Nigeria has extremely very limited domestic endogenous capability and or capacity for the production, fabrication and manufacture of modern technologies and globally competitive industrial goods in Nigeria’s economy both for domestic use and for export.  It is this lack of domestic endogenous capacity for globally competitive industrial goods and modern technologies production that Nigeria’s challenges of human capital development revolves;  (b) The enduring challenges  of the Inherited Lord Lugard’s Policy for Science and Technology Activities for Development in Nigeria, (c) The wrong Conception in Nigeria of what R&D Activities and Technology Innovations really entail, (d) the inexplicable high prestige placed on Paper Qualifications in Nigeria, (e) Nigeria’s inability  to adopt sustainable Technology Innovation and Copy Technology creativity that helped Nations, which did not experience at first hand like Nigeria, the 18^th and 19^th Industrial Revolutions that took place in Europe such as Japan, China , India, and South Korea, to leapfrog into global industrial competition with Industrial Europe and North America (USA and Canada), (f) Nigeria’s distorted / uncreative Economic Development Planning Strategy from 1962 to present, which has always been based solely on imported foreign produced Capital Intensive Technologies /related Industrial Inputs and on what Money was available to import them and (g) Generally continuing groping in the dark in Nigeria for a clear and definitive National Policy for the integration of  Science and Technology Activities in Nigeria Industrialization /Economic Growth and Development since the termination of British Colonial Rule in 1960.

 Now the Elaboration of the above respective Challenges in Nigeria’s Economy:

(1): The Challenge of Human Capital Development for Technologies and Industrial Goods Production / Manufacture in Nigeria’s Economy:

 The recent World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Index, which measures the extent to which Nations and Economies optimize their human capital through education and skills development, finds that Sub –Sahara Africa including Nigeria, on average, only captures 15% in human development potential compared to global average of 65%, ranging from 67% to 63% in Mauritania, Ghana, and Republic of South Africa, to only 49% to 44% in Mali, Nigeria and Chad. How can Nigeria make education and research in Science and Technology activities work for Nigeria’s socio-economic growth and development?  The Answer, in my view, is to get Nigeria education system develop along the lines of knowledge acquisition and the application of the acquired knowledge in the production and services in the domestic economy. Nigeria now has a large number of World class Scientists and Engineers but extremely very few and inadequately trained middle level Technologists and Technicians with professional / technical skills of production, processing and manufacture of globally competitive industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) in Nigeria’s economy.

In Britain, a top Industrial Economy and World Economic Power, for example, had in 1957, a total of 15 Universities (9 in England, 4 in Scotland, one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland, respectively.  but had thousands of Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges to train Manpower in professional skills / Technical Skills, in the Ratio of (1) one University to every (4) four Polytechnics / Colleges of Technology to (30) thirty Technical Colleges  to train professional/ technical skilled Manpower in engineering design and fabrication, machine / equipment components manufacture, nuts and bolts making, tools making, molding skills, panel making skills, Steel rolling skills, among other professional /Technical skills of Technology production and of Industrial goods manufacture in the economy. Compare this with situation in Nigeria. However currently Nigeria has well over 150 Universities training manpower to acquire Scientific and Engineering knowledge but extremely very few Polytechnics/ Colleges of Technology and far less Technical Colleges to train manpower to acquire the professional skills / technical skills of economic production /services, to convert the available Scientific knowledge, Inventions and discoveries into Technologies (that is the technics of production and services in the Economy) and to fabricate/manufacture Industrial goods in Nigeria’s economy. It is this inverted Education Pyramid Structure that is primarily responsible for Nigeria’s continuing endemic technology underdevelopment and the Country’s inability to produce and export any globally competitive industrial goods from Nigeria’s Economy. This is the genesis of Nigeria’s near total dependence on foreign produced modern technologies, foreign scientific / engineering personnel / inventors for the commanding tasks of Science and Technology in Nigeria’s economy and on imported industrial goods, a Challenge, Nigeria should address and brace up to overcome.

   (2): The Challenge posed by the inherited Lord Fredrick Lugard’s Policy for S&T, Industrial / Economic Development in Nigeria:

 Lord Fredrick Lugard, the first Nigeria’s Governor General, 1914-1918. In his Book titled “The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa,” 4^th Edition, London, 1929, enunciated the S&T Policy for economic development in Nigeria on what he called a “Mutual Agreement” said to be existing between “Britain and the Colonized Nigeria”. In this so called “Agreement”,  Nigeria is to export or supply Britain with primary Agricultural Commodities such as Cocoa, Palm Oil / Palm Kernel, Rubber, Cotton, livestock hides and skins which Britain required for her once famous Textile Industry and her Leather and Leather products industry, and to supply Britain with unprocessed Natural Minerals (solid, liquid and gaseous), which Nigeria has in abundance and which are of interest to Britain for the production and manufacture of Technologies and  Industrial goods in British Economy. Britain on her part is to “provide or export at costs to Nigeria, all the modern technologies and industrial goods that Nigeria needs to sustain her own economic growth and development”. Lord Lugard further stated in his Book that that was the prime objective of British Colonization of Nigeria. I wonder how many Nigerians, particularly Leaders in Politics and Government, have had the opportunity to read this Lugard’s Book. With this Dual Policy a balance of Trade between Nigeria and Britain was established. This Policy means in effect that Nigeria should not develop any domestic capacity to produce and manufacture modern Technologies and globally competitive industrial goods in Nigeria’s Economy during the British Colonial Rule as that could undermine or compromise the “Mutual Agreement”.  This is when the Rain of underdevelopment in Science and Technology began to beat Nigeria, apologies to Chinua Achebe, Nigeria’s internationally acknowledged Novelist, of “Things Fall Apart”. This Lugard’s  Policy is recently alluded to in an Article discussing “Infrastructure and Africa’s Development and Prosperity: The Imperative of Public Private Partnership (PPP)”, held in Abuja, Nigeria, on May, 15-16, 2017, by one Engr. Chidi K. C. Ijuwa, of the Presidency, Abuja, Nigeria, who made the following interesting observations, namely,

(a) “the price of Cocoa is declining in the World Market but never the price of Chocolates,
(b) “the price of Cotton may fall but never the price of clothes and garments, and
(c) “the Coffee farmers may face declining prices in the World market, but the Coffee grinders and Starbucks will smile all the way to the Banks”.

To make assurance doubly sure that the “Dual Mandate” was fully implemented, Britain established only one University College, at Ibadan in 1948, coupled it with the Senate of the University of London. The University College was not allowed to offer Courses in Engineering, Technology and Professional Courses but allowed  full complement of Courses in Latin and Greek (Classics), English History, Zoology, Botany, Geography, Organic Chemistry (initially no Physical Chemistry), Classical Physics, Agricultural Commodity Sciences, Mathematics (of 19^th Century, G. Hardy of Cambridge University School of Mathematics who swore never to be alive to see his Mathematics applied), and Divinity respectively from 1948-1960.  Britain also made sure that during the British Colonial Rule, there were no Polytechnics, no Colleges of Technology and no Technical Colleges to train and develop skilled technical and professional manpower for technology and industrial goods production in Nigeria’s economy as that may breech the “Dual Mandate”. There were also no Research and Development (R&D) Institutions for technology production and industrial goods manufacture in Nigeria’s Colonial economy. Have Nigeria’s Leadership Elite ever asked Questions on these developments since 1960?

However, primary Agricultural Scientific Research Institutions were established for British West Africa including Nigeria such as West Africa Cocoa Research Institute with headquarters in Accra, Ghana , West Africa Oil Palm Research Institute with headquarters in Benin Nigeria, West Africa Trypanosomiasis Research Institute to address tse- tse fly menace against Cattle livestock, the source of raw hides and skins for leather and leather products industries in Britain, Earlier in 1899 Britain established an Agricultural Experimental Scientific Research Station at Moor Station in Ibadan to experiment on primary Cotton production in Southern Nigeria. Kano in Northern Nigeria produced abundant primary Cotton but there were no Roads and no Railways then for use in transporting the raw Cotton produce to Lagos Sea Port for onward shipment to Britain and Europe.

The above in effect summarizes the Science and Technology Policy that guided Nigeria both during the British Colonial Rule and inexplicably since the end of British Rule. Do we now need a Sooth Sayer to tell us why till date Nigeria cannot export any Technology and globally competitive industrial goods from her own economy?  However few things did happen, which are a deviation from this Lugard’s Policy which occurred in Nigeria following the end of the Civil War in 1970 which led to the establishment of  a good number of R&D institutions such as FIIRO (1956 but modified in 1978), PRODA (1976 as Federal Agency), NOTAP (1979), RMRDC (1987) and NASENI (1993). In spite of these later good efforts, not very much has changed in Nigeria’s domestic capacity for Technology and Research Industry, as they say habits die hard as none of these new R&D Agencies can be said to now compete with relatively similar R&D Agency namely South Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) whose work has contributed significantly in the production and manufacture of industrial processed goods and globally industrial goods including KIA Automobiles and ICT goods, now exported by relatively less endowed South Korea, to the World Market including Nigeria’s Market. Only recently, January 19, 2018, South Korea Samson Heavy Industries (SHI) is reported to be exporting to Nigeria a USD 3.3 billion Technology namely a Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) a deep- water oil field Vessel with capacity of 200,000 barrels per day.     Please see my latest Book titled “Technology and Wealth of Nations”.

 (3):  The Challenge posed by limited Understanding by Nigeria’s Stakeholders of what R&D and Technology Innovation Activities, respectively really mean/ entail:

The R&D and Technology Innovation work of the rich and famous Alfred Nobel, a Swedish Chemist and inventor of nitroglycerine in his effort to commercialize explosive nitroglycerine material offers a good illustration of what R&D Activity really entails. Alfred Nobel in his R&D work (that is development of output of Scientific Research into technologies and industrial goods), undertook the following Tasks in his attempt to commercialize the invented nitroglycerine as a Dynamite or an Explosive, namely,

• Pouring few drops of the invented nitroglycerine onto an Anvil, hitting it with a hammer and causing sharp explosion but found that only part of the liquid nitroglycerine that came into contact with the hammer exploded,
• Two important problems arose from the above discovery, firstly the substance is dangerous to produce, since it can explode if the temperature rose too high, and secondly if one succeeds in producing a small amount, the next problem is getting it to explode under controlled conditions. This forced Alfred Nobel to carry out repeated experiments at great risk to his life,
• Alfred Nobel first achievement was the production of nitroglycerine into a glass jar and to put it into a tin with black powder (gun powder) which he then injected with an ordinary fuse and this was how a Detonator was invented or discovered,
• A patent was granted to Alfred Nobel for the explosive with a blasting powder,
• With this Patent Alfred Nobel got a new Patent for the production of nitroglycerine and the use of a Detonator or what was then called Alfred Nobel Igniter, in a hollow wooden plug which is filled with black powder now called Percussion Cap (mercury flame) or Detonator, and
• Later Alfred Nobel improved the design through technical innovation by replacing the wooden plug with a Metal Cap. See attached Sketch of Nobel laboratory instruments and “Nobel Igniter” or Detonator.

The above constitutes an example of what R&D Work and Technology Innovation Activities really entail.  As its title implies, R&D activity is to develop the output of Scientific Research, inventions and discoveries into technologies and commercial goods. That is why R&D Agencies operate as production and services Centers in the Economy of Nations. Each R&D Institute or Agency should have at least the following Operational Divisions, namely Technology Innovation Division, Industrial Products Development Division, Industrial Materials Processing Division, and Products Marketing Division, respectively.  These are what NASENI, PRODA, FIIRO, RMRDC , NOTAP, SEDIE, SEDIM, etc. Areas of Operation  The Staffing of these R&D / Technology development Agencies should also reflect these types of Activities, in which professional middle level Technologists, low level skilled Technicians and other related professional personnel are more dominant in comparison with lead Scientists, Engineers and Senior Technologists who serve as Managing Directors, Development Managers, Products Marketers and Project Planners, respectively. There is no known example of a thriving scientific, technological and modern industrial and prosperous Society, whose S&T Activities end up in Academic education / Certificates, Scientific research knowledge and Professional titles as observed in Nigeria. What is observed in globally competitive Economies is Human Capital with endogenous capabilities and or capacities for the production and manufacture of modern Technologies of production/ services with Technology Innovation in use in domestic economies as the prime instrumental for the production / manufacture of Technologies and globally competitive, Industrial Goods (Capital, Consumer Items and Industrial Materials respectively.  

(4):  Nigeria’s Failure to learn from the highly successful Technological Innovations Experience that took place in the defunct State of Biafra, 1967-1970:

 The Nigerian Scientists and Engineers who found themselves in the defunct State of Biafra faced the daunting challenge of no domestic capacity for technology and industrial goods production which left the defunct State of Biafra scampering to import technologies and industrial goods but could not do so because of lack of foreign currency and blockade of superior Federal Military Government. It is this situation of no external support or assistance whatsoever during the Civil War that forced the Scientist / Engineers / Technicians to learn the hard way to produce technologies in Biafra. The Scientists and Engineers had no choice but to adopt the Strategy of Technology Innovation as earlier defined and through Copy engineering Design, copy components fabrication and copy technologies production and manufacturing creativity. It is this Strategy that enabled the Scientists, Engineers, Technologists and Technicians in Biafra, 1967-1970, to leapfrog within six months into domestic modern technology production / manufacturing capacity without any assistance and support whatsoever from the outside World. The Scientists / Engineers were incredibly able to design and fabricate Refineries for the production of Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene, to produce effective weapon technologies, to construct Airports among others which enabled the defunct State of Biafra to resist for 30 long months the awesome superior Technology power of the Federal Military Government. This is the Strategy which Japan used at the turn of 20^th Century AD to leapfrog into competition with awesome Industrial Europe and North America. This is the same Strategy which is now being used by countries such as China, India, South Korea and Brazil, to leapfrog into technology and industrial goods competition with the top Industrial Europe, North America and Japan. It is therefore inappropriate and hopeless task for Nigeria to continue to try to re-invent the Wheel which Europe invented for us during the 18^th and 19^th Century AD Industrial Revolutions.  With what is going on now in R&D Agencies with no serious effort at Technology Innovation, Nigeria is most unlikely to build the necessary domestic capacity for modern Technologies and Industrial goods production and Technology in the near future in her economy. Therefore, Technology Innovation and Copy Technology Tasks are the way to go, and not the current Rhetoric or Cliché of Science, Technology and Innovation Slogan.

(5):  Nigeria’s Inexplicable Failure to appreciate the Role of Science and Technology in safeguarding her Political Independence since 1960:

At Ghana’s Independence Day Address, Dr. Kwame Nkruma, the President of Ghana reminded the Ghanaians that for economic reasons, Britain did not give Ghana the domestic endogenous capacity to produce and manufacture modern technologies and industrial goods in Ghana’s economy and that Ghana must acquire this Capacity the hard way. Without the domestic endogenous capacity for technologies and industrial goods production, Dr. Nkruma stated in his Independence Day Address, that “Ghana’s Independence would be meaningless”. With this Policy Statement, Dr. Kwame Nkruma directed that a Ghana Council for Scientific Research and Industrial Development be established to build and establish the domestic endogenous capacity for the production of modern technologies and globally competitive industrial goods in Ghana’s economy for domestic use and for export. This is exactly what President Nehru of India was reported to do at India’s Independence in 1947 and India is now one of the 20 top World Industrial Economies.

In contrast, no Nigerian Political Leader at whatever level, at our Independence Day Address on October 1, 1960 said anything about the Role of Science and Technology in safeguarding the Independence of Nigeria and there was no mention of any relationship between Science and Technology and Nigeria’s Economy. All the Energies of Nigeria’s Political Leaders since Independence were seen to be consumed in fighting battles of ethnic Nationality and Religious differences. What Nigeria did in 1961 was to enter into Military Technology Assistance Agreement with the same departing British Colonial Power for protection, an action that led to protests by young Nigerians. However in 1966, the emergent Military Administration of General Aguyi Ironsi of January 15, 1966- 29 July, 1966 had to announce the promulgation of a Decree to establish a Nigerian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, trying to imitate Ghana, but which could not be inaugurated because of the ethnic Nationality conflict driven Civil War of 1967-1970. After the War, in April 1970, the General Gowon Administration of 1970-1975 revived the Nigerian Scientific and Industrial Research Council but renamed it Nigerian Council of Science and Technology (NCST) of 1970-1976, now defunct, followed by also the now defunct National Science and Technology Development Agency (1977-1979 of General Mohammed / Obasanjo Administration and followed by the current Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) and its Research Institutes of Shehu Shagari Administration of 1980-1983 currently surviving, all these are in an attempt to address Nigeria’s domestic endogenous capability and or capacity building for the production and manufacture of modern Technologies and globally competitive industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) in Nigeria for domestic  use and for export,  It is safe to say that Nigeria is still struggling with this technology development capacity building problem and that not much  so far has been achieved, after fifty-seven (57) years effort. This is in stark contrast with South Korea which was almost if not in worse situation than Nigeria at the time of her Independence, but now exports globally competitive modern Technologies and industrial processed goods including ICT equipment and KIA Automobiles to Nigeria and Nigeria cannot, but in fairness still struggling.   

 (6): Nigeria’s Faulty Economic Development Planning Strategy since 1962:

Nigeria’s Economic Development Planning starting from 1962-1968 Plan till present were based  on Foreign Capital Intensive Technologies and on what funds were available to import these technologies and related industrial goods inputs and when the funds were not available as most times the case to import these foreign Inputs, then the Implementation of the Plans failed. There were no provisions in the Plans for inputs from domestic produced Technologies and Industrial goods.  Consequently, the domestic R&D / Technology production Agencies were left to do what they pleased and of course they simply revert to Scientific Research for knowledge acquisition which they know best and contributed nothing to the Plans.  This is why Nigeria, with highly qualified and talented Scientists and Engineers equal to any in the World, cannot contribute any modern Technologies nor globally competitive Industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) to the Nigeria’s National Economic Development Plans.

In the recent 21^st yearly Stock-brokers Conference in Lagos on Thursday 16 /11 /2017, the following excellent Views on economic development Strategy were credited to  a former leading and one of the most creative Federal Permanent Secretaries of the 1966-1976, namely Chief Philip Asiodu who has these statements to make at the Conference, namely,

• If Nigeria has continued with the 1975-1980 Indigenization Plan, Nigeria should have been at par or ahead of Asian Tigers,
• Nigerians are yet to recover from the massive disruption that followed the second indigenization Policy,
• It is always a good strategic economic development planning to focus on upgrading and or modification of existing projects or schemes rather than abolishing such schemes for new Schemes, and
• No country can achieve economic independence without improving on her export earnings and this is possible by building the domestic capability and or capacity for the production and manufacture of globally competitive industrial goods and modern technologies.      

(7): The Failure to develop the pivotal Electrical Power supporting Infrastructure for Economic Growth and Development in Nigeria:

It is useful to present herewith below, for information, the Electrical Power Generation and Supply infrastructure, the most important energy source that currently supports Technology Production and Industrial goods manufacture in most World Economies, which are considered Nigeria’s Peers. The Table below indicates Power Generation in which “Nigeria is Many Light Years Behind her Pears “, as at 2017:

Item Number	Country	Country Population in Millions	Electricity Generating Power in MW	Foreign Reserves in Billion US Dollars
1	Turkey	69	49,200	123
2	Indonesia	261	40,000	124
3	Nigeria	183	7,500	31
4	China	1.38 Billion	1,140,000	37 Trillion
5	Thailand	68	32,600	180
6	South Korea	51	84,000	365
7	Malaysia	32	25,300	100

 Nigeria is now touted as the “Economic Giant of Africa”, but as a country that does not export any modern competitive Technologies and globally competitive Industrial Goods (Capital, Consumer Items and Industrial Materials, respectively) from her own Economy and consequently is constantly prone to Economic Recession. The above Table explains Nigeria’s Electrical power supply dilemma.   The Republic of South Africa with a Population of about 50 Million as at 2011 was generating 45,000 MW of Electricity and is now the only Member from Africa in the top 20 leading World Economies. This Data is adapted From Business Day Newspaper of August 14, 2017. One may also read the similar Issues raised in my 1999 Address at “Professor Gordian Ezekwe Memorial Lecture” of 24^th March, 1999 titled, “Technological Developments in the 21^st Century: A Challenge to Developing Countries”, which highlighted the following On-going Technology Innovations, for example (a) Telecommunications: From Telegraph to Telephone, Copper Wires to Fiber Optics, to Analogue and to Digital (b) Photography: From Daguerreotypes to Glass plates to Films to Digital, and Black and White to Color (c) Automobile  Industry which now seems to be moving from Hydrocarbon products to Electrical Powered Automobiles.

(8): The Challenge posed to Nigeria’s Export of primary raw Commodities as exemplified by the Catastrophe of the recent Agricultural Yam Tuber Commodity Export:

Recently in 2017, Nigeria, in an attempt to address her Economic Recession, embarked on a massive production of local Yam Tuber Commodity, in best of times usually produced abundantly in many parts of Nigeria, as local food items, but now to export this Commodity to USA and Europe to earn foreign Currency. It will be recalled that during the British Colonial Rule in Nigeria, a number of problem oriented Agricultural Scientific Research Institutions to promote local production of various primary Commodities for export to Europe and other industrial Nations. The Primary Commodities Institutions were established under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and include namely CRIN, NIFOR, Rubber Research Institute, Cotton Research Institute, Forestry Research, NITR, for Cattle Hides / Skins, among others to boost productivity of primary Cocoa, Palm Oil / Palm Kernel, Cattle Hides / Skins, large diameter Timber wood, etc. for export and as major source of foreign Currency.  The recent attempt in 2017 to export Yam Tubers to Europe and USA was a disaster. The exported Yam Tubers were reportedly rejected in USA as substandard, rotten and not suitable for human consumption. This is an embarrassment not only for Nigerian Government, but also Nigeria’s Primary Agricultural Scientific Research Institutions and the Yam Tuber Farmers. This sad development has led to a number of questions on the production, scientific research, storage and the standardization of export primary produce from Nigeria, namely

• Are the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources / its Scientific Research Institutes, the Yam Tuber Farmers, and the Nigerian Standard Organization fully involved in the decision to produce, market and export the Yam Tubers?
• Can this be an overdose of the Fertilizer used in the production process?
• Can it be soil problem? But research information indicates that Yam Tubers do not rot so quickly under storage in Nigeria,
• Can it be the quality of the Yam Seeds used? 
• Or can it be the Farmers in the production of Yam Seeds in question abandoning the Fallow System in favor of industrial chemicals as fertilizers in the recent Yam production mostly in use by Nigerian Yam farmers?

Whatever the Case, this is an embarrassment to Agricultural Commodity Scientific Research Activities, Standards Organization in Nigeria and Yam Tuber Export Farmers. Something serious should be done quickly by all the relevant Stakeholders to address this shame on Nigeria.       

 Summary of Recommendations on the Way Forward to a sustainable S&T Activities / globally competitive Industrial Economy in Nigeria:

In the light of the above stated developments and the daunting Challenges faced by Science and Technology Activities in Nigeria, what can Nigeria do to overcome these problems and to address her enduring Economic Underdevelopment, recurring Recessions and related Poverty?  The following Recommendations are made for consideration by the relevant Nigerian Authorities and Stakeholders in Science and Technology Activities, Industrialization and Economic Growth and Development, namely,

• First, Nigeria has to increase drastically the number of her current Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges in relation to the in-explicable very large number of Universities and related Academies in Nigeria’s economy in order to clearly address the training and development of professional and technical skills for Technologies and Industrial goods production in Nigeria’s Economy. This recommendation is supported by the fact that  in Great Britain, a top globally competitive World Industrial Economy and which had her first University, namely Oxford University in 1199, had eight hundred (800)years later , in 1957, a total of 15 Universities, 9 in England, 4 in Scotland, 1, in Wales and 1 in Northern Ireland but had thousands of Polytechnics, Advanced Colleges of Technology, Technical Colleges and City and Guilds Schools all focused on training professional and technical skills  on engineering components fabrication, welding skills, nuts and bolts making skills, primary raw materials processing skills, glass ware making skills, molding skills, panel making skills, steel rolling skills , metal fabrication skills, etc. and other various aspects of  modern technics of production and services including equipment, machines, industrial plants, engineering tools, Scientific measuring and control instruments including fast computers . This preponderance of professional skilled manpower in UK and USA R&D / Technology Development Agencies is also what was observed in Japan at the turn of 20^th Century AD and now observed in China, India and South Korea, which  did not witness at first hand the 18^th and 19^th Century AD Industrial Revolutions in Europe, just like Nigeria. Therefore, Nigeria should follow suit, if Nigeria wants to make serious industrial and economic progress. This means far Less number of Universities for Scientific knowledge acquisition as at present but far more numbers of Polytechnics / Colleges of Technology and extremely far more Technical Colleges for professional / technical skills acquisition for production / manufacture of Technologies and Industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) and Services in Nigeria’s economy,
• Domestic Industries, both SMEs and Large Industries, involved in industrial goods production, manufacture and Services in the economy, should be made to have  Engineering Design and Fabrication Divisions at the ground floor of their operations, in order to undertake technology innovation as part of their activities, and be monitored on a regular basis to ensure compliance,
• The existing domestic R&D Institutions / Agencies should be made to see themselves primarily as technologies (equipment, machines, scientific measuring and control instruments including fast computers, engineering tools, industrial plants etc. producing Agencies not just pretending to be another Universities and or Scientific knowledge based acquisition  Institutions for which they are ill-equipped and not mandated compared with the Universities and  Scientific research institutions including Agricultural and Medical Scientific Research Institutions, which are not R&D Agencies because their output is applicable scientific knowledge services in the Economy, in particular, natural Agricultural Commodity, natural Minerals surveys and exploitation, and Medical scientific Services. For instance, FIRRO was established by British Colonial Authorities as a Scientific Research services Institution in 1956 and remained so until 1979 when it was reconstituted into an R&D Institution for which it is still struggling to come to terms with. Therefore R&D Institutions such as NASENI, PRODA, FIRRO, NOTAP, SEDIE, SEDIM, RMRDC etc. should clearly see their Mandates as technologies development and industrial goods production institutions in the economy and have their manpower dominantly middle level technologists, technicians etc. with professional and technical of skills for technologies and industrial goods production. R&D Agencies should be in a position to read, use and produce Patents.  Each R&D Agency should have an Industrial Liaison, Extension Services with Industry and also have to, market their output and earn Revenue. For example, PRODA under the defunct ECS, 1971-1975 was earning over 50% of its Annual Expenditure.  NASENI’s inspiring innovation work on imported Electron Voting Machine can on commercialization earn a lot of revenue from the commercialization of the new modified Electronic Voting Machine. A total review of all existing R&D Institutions should be undertaken, and their responsibilities clearly determined.
• The Government Science and Technology Development Policy (with emphasis on No Technology No Economic Progress) should be in place for promoting Nigeria’s industrial and economic development and should be focused on (a) sustainable, well-funded and well equipped Science and Engineering Infrastructure Complexes in all aspects of Technologies and Industrial goods production and manufacture and the creation of professional and technical human capital for economic development. Private Sector Industries should follow suit and also invest in R&D. For instance, RMRDC should work on producing industrial chemicals (organic, inorganic, and special chemicals such as fertilizers and explosives, now heavily imported into Nigeria’s economy, PRODA should deal mostly with production technologies and industrial capital goods and Industrial Plants, NOTAP should concentrate on Innovations on imported technologies to produce new technologies for use by SMEs to stop them from continuing to go to import such technologies , FIRRO should  deal with the processing of primary agricultural and other food commodities and industrial Food processing technologies and or industrial plants. This is the way to go for Nigeria to become a competitive Industrial Nation, and all these activities must be continuously monitored by an appropriate Government body to ensure implementation and compliance, Thailand produces over 15 industrial products from Cassava and Malaysia produces many industrial products from palm oil, how many industrial products does FIRRO produce from cassava and palm oil?  
•  Government should consider seriously bringing all Public R&D and Technology Agencies together under one Umbrella, such as National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure Development (NASENI) to save Administrative costs and wasteful duplication of scarce resources, manpower and responsibilities. This particular Suggestion I believe, is in line with that of late Minister Professor G.O. Ezekwe, when he initiated NASENI as such a body in 1992. This also is what is mostly observed during my visits to South Korea and Japan in the 1980s, where the now most creative and effective Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) was effectively involved in the establishment of the now thriving South Korea Steel (Sheet metal and Carbon Steel) making industry and the Korea Automobile Industry (KIA) now making waves in Nigeria.
• Government Policy on Funding of public R&D Institutions / Agencies should also be reviewed so that public funding is scaled down as the Institutions / Agencies age, so that after a period of say ten years, such Institutions / Agencies should depend on their own earnings and pay taxes to the Government that set them up. This is the practice one has observed in my Trips to China, India and the Republic of South Korea which is worthy of consideration in Nigeria to stimulate healthy competition among Institutions for Private Sector funds. In my time only NASENI was headed by a Director General, the rest are headed by Directors, an urgent reversal to what obtained in the past will reduce costs of Management and Administration of R&D / Technology Agencies and for improved productivity and cost benefit,
• The Staffing of R&D Institutions / Technology Development Agencies should also reflect their Mandates so that a Ratio of one Scientist, one Engineer, one Senior Technologist to  four middle level Technologists (normally with HND) and to Thirty lower level Technicians (normally with OND) be established in order to address the Skills (mechanics, machinists, CPU components, electricians, fitters, welders, Vehicle components, bolts /nuts etc.) for  modern industrialization of Nigeria,   being it understood that University Degrees and or Basic education do not produce industrial  goods but products (HND and OND) of Polytechnics / Technical Colleges do and create jobs and wealth in a Nation,,
• Government should endeavor to address the unnecessarily high prestige / status accorded to University Degrees / Certificates in Nigeria, compared to the inexplicable much lower prestige / status accorded to the Diploma / Certificates of the products of Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges, the prime movers of competitive Technology and Research Industry and production / manufacture  of technologies and globally competitive industrial goods,
• NASENI and other related R&D Institutions should therefore brace themselves up to the demands of increased Internet Access, the challenges of Technology obsolescence in Nigeria’s economy and the on-going 21^st Century ICT Revolution and Innovations,
• Government may wish to have a second look at its Policy on Industry and foreign Trade, foreign Investments and note that it is not wise to encourage near total dependence on imported Technologies and Industrial Goods, which subsidize Technologies and Industrial goods production in foreign Industrial Nations at the expense of real economic growth and industrial development in Nigeria,
• Nigeria should map out time bound scientific, technological and industrial goods production agenda based on greater creative work in order to achieve by the year 2030 the following, namely, (1) 50% of modern technologies in use in Nigeria to be domestically produced, (2) 25% of the exports to be industrial capital goods (i.e. equipment, machinery, scientific measuring and control instruments including fast Computers, etc., based on the strategy of Technology Innovation in Nigeria’s economy, (3) 50% of Raw Materials Exports to be in processed forms, and all the above activities being guided by the recent Federal Government National Science, Technology Implementation Roadmap (NSTIR) and in tandem with National Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (NERGEP),    and
• Finally Nigeria’s Leadership Elite in Politics and Government need to seriously address the current Structure of Federal (Central) Government and 36 State Governments which take up over 75 % of the National Budget for servicing the bureaucracy leaving less than 25 % for Capital Projects required to develop economic development supporting infrastructures of Electricity Supply, Road and Railway transportation, etc. and to create jobs for the mass of our Youths and to combat the current terrible poverty now threatening the unity, peace and progress of our Nation.  In this respect the incredibly large Remuneration paid to Political Office Holders in Nigeria needs drastic Review. 

Thank you for listening and for your kind patience.

Felix N.C. Oragwu, FSAN, MInstP (IOP) London

Former Senior Academic in Physics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN), from 1960s,
Head of Research and Development (R&D)  Planning Division / Coordinator of  Technological Services of the Industrial War Machine that operated in the defunct State of Biafra, 1967-1970.
Retired Senior Director in Charge of the Department of Science and Technology (S&T) Policy, Planning and Development of the Federal Government Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) 1979-1987
Former Technology Development Consultant to UNECA, UNDP and UNIDO