History of Nigeria’s Effort at Technology and Industrial Economy

The Book TECHNOLOGY AND WEALTH OF NATIONS addresses Nigeria’s and Africa’s Efforts at domestic endogenous Capability and or Capacity Building for modern Technologies of production and services in Nigeria’s Economy and the production and manufacture of globally competitive Industrial Goods (Capital, processed consumer food Items and industrial materials, respectively) both for domestic use and for export to the global World Market, to gain foreign Currency. The Question, the Book is asking and answering, is why is it that Nigeria, after well over one hundred (100) years of S&T Activities, starting from 1899 at Moor, Plantation, Ibadan, is still struggling to build the domestic endogenous Capability / Capacity for Technologies and Industrial Goods production and manufacture in her own economy? The Book is, in fact, making a Case for (1) Technology Education, Technology Production, and Technology Innovation Activities in Nigeria’s Economy, (2), Excellent Economic Development Plans (Long /Medium Terms) were formulated to be implemented using foreign produced Technologies and Industrial Inputs and when there are no Funds to import the required Technologies and the Industrial Inputs, then the Plans could not be implemented and the Plans would fail, and that has been the lot of Nigeria since 1962-1985 Plans, and (3) the Book has provided a remedial Functional Blueprint for tackling these socio-economic development Activities in Nigeria. This Book, therefore, is not another Read and Throw Away, but a Book of Reference/ Guidance, on what to do, in order to acquire the domestic capability and or capacity for a globally competitive Technology and Industrial Economy in Nigeria.

What, are the Challenges Nigeria should try to overcome for the above to happen?

They are centered on the following impediments, namely,
(1) Nigeria’s non -involvement in the Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th Century, CE, following the Rise of modern Science in 17th Century, CE, in Europe. The latter (Europe) in particular, Britain, in order, to sustain her prolific Technologies and Industrial Goods production / manufacture, requires primary raw Agricultural and Mineral Commodities not available in Europe, but abundantly available in Nigeria, such as Cocoa, Cotton, Cattle Hides / Skins (for leather and leather products Industries), large diameter Timber wood (Iroko and Mahogany), Ground nuts, Rubber, Palm Oil and Palm Kernel, among other primary Raw Commodities. Nigeria, as a British Colony, please see the The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa by Sir Fredrick Lugard, the first Governor General of Nigeria, 1914-1918, to appreciate Nigeria’s Predicament with production/ manufacture of Technologies and Industrial Goods in Nigeria’s Economy. To implement the Dual Mandate Policy, Britain promoted

• The production of primary Agricultural Commodities of interest to British Industries /Economy,
• Commodity Storage Institutes to achieve their wholesome Exports by Ocean Transport of these Commodities
• Agricultural Scientific Research Institutes to provide Scientific Services for the sustained growth of these relevant primary Commodities in Nigeria, namely, Cocoa Research Institute, Oil Palm Research Institute, Trypanosomiasis Research Institute to fight Tse-Tse Fly and related Cattle Diseases (for Cattle Hides and Skins), among others, and
• Britain to ensure however, that all to the Technologies and Industrial Inputs for use in Nigeria’s Economy have to be imported mostly from Britain and Europe.

This is the cardinal Policy / Strategy as per Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa for Science, Technology and Economic Development in Nigeria both during the Colonial Rule and immediate post- Colonial Rule of Nigeria from 1960-2021. This in effect means No Technologies and No Industrial Goods Manufacture in Nigeria’s Economy. Consequently, if any such Industrial Activities are to take place in Nigeria, they must be sustained by imported Technologies, mostly from Europe and USA. This explains why in the face of the large number of Universities in Nigeria, each with Faculties of Science, Engineering and Technology, Nigeria till date cannot produce nor manufacture modern Technologies and globally competitive industrial Goods in Nigeria’s Economy both for domestic Use and for Export to World global Market to gain foreign Currency. This is what my Book Technology and Wealth of Nations (African Experience) is trying to address.

(2) Britain did not allow Technology Education in Nigeria because it may lead to production / manufacture of Technologies and Industrial Goods in Nigeria’s Economy, which may offend or undermine The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa, as laid down by Lord Fredrick Lugard, the First Governor General of Nigeria, 1914-1918, in his Book, titled, the Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa Second Edition, 1929, London. Please read this Dual Mandate fully stated in this Book, for more information. How many Nigerian Leadership Elite in Politics and in Government have read Lord Fredrick Lugard Book on Europe’s Dual Mandate in Africa?

(3) Another Challenge is the 1884 -1885 Conference, in Berlin, Germany, a Conference of European Powers, of UK of Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, held to partition and share Africa, among the powerful European Nations. This led to the mutual Sharing / Colonization of the African Continent and to secure their respective portions of Africa’s Agricultural / Mineral Commodities Exploitation. What is now called Nigeria, was given to Britain as her own share of West Africa Region. The Book gives more and detailed information about this Europe’s tragic Perfidy in Africa.

(4) In the light of the Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa and the insistence of Nigeria’s Freedom Fighters for a University in Nigeria, after the Second World War of 1939-1945, Britain bowed to the pressure of the Nigeria’s Freedom Fighters by establishing the University College Ibadan (UCI) of 1948 -1960 but made sure that UCI did not offer any Courses in the core Physical Sciences, Engineering Sciences , Technology and Industrial related Courses, which might lead to non-observance / implementation of Lord Lugard Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa namely No production and manufacture of Technologies and Industrial Goods in Nigeria’s Economy. University College Ibadan (UCI) therefore operated as a Classical University like Oxford University in England which trained British Colonial Administrators for running Nigeria and Oxford University itself did not offer Courses in Physical Sciences, Engineering, Technology, and professional Economic courses at least up to 1960, but mainly Latin, Greek, English Language and History and Humanities. UCI is Nigeria’s Premier University. The Tragedy in these Challenges is that no Nigerian Leader in Politics and in Government is asking Questions on this Technology / Industrial Goods Issues since Nigeria’s Independence in 1960.

(5) In 1956-1959, the Eastern Nigeria Regional Government, under the Leadership of HE Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe asked Questions on these, and decided to establish the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to offer Courses in all the Sciences (Physical, Biological, Engineering, Agricultural and Medical Sciences), Technology and Professional Industrial Courses, in order, to develop manpower for Technologies and Industrial Goods production and manufacture in Nigeria ‘s Economy. HE Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe incurred the Anger of British Colonial Authorities. Hell was let loose on UNN for daring to change the British Education Mandate in Nigeria and that forced the British Colonial Government to set up the Eric Ashby Commission on the Coordinated Development of University Education in Nigeria to avoid the Example of UNN spreading to other Regional Governments, and the related danger to British Export of Technologies / Industrial Goods, which UNN example posed. See the Report of the Eric Commission on University Education in Nigeria. See more Details in Section Two of my Book on Technology and Wealth of Nations, now being launched.

(6) In October 1979, under the Federal Administration of President Shehu Shagari / Dr Alex Ekwueme, after Civil War, and learning from what happened in the now defunct State of Biafra, 1967-1970, established four Federal Universities of Technology to address domestic capability / capacity building for Technologies and Industrial Goods Production / Manufacture in Nigeria’s Economy. These Four Federal Universities (FUT) are, namely FUT, Owerri in old Imo State, 1982, FUT, Makurdi, in old Benue- Plateau State in 1982, FUT Yola in the old North Central State of Nigeria, 1982, and FUT, Abeokuta, in old Western Nigeria State in 1983, respectively. With the Departure of Shagari / Ekwueme Administration, the Federal Universities of Technologies have since reverted to Conventional Universities, some converted to Federal Universities of Agriculture and some retaining their designation as FUT, in name, but operating as Conventional Classical Universities till date. See more Details in the Book being launched.

(7) The Failure of the above Attempts to address the Issue of Technology Education, Technology development / production / Industrial Goods Production / Manufacture, in Nigeria, have remained till date, a major Challenge to Nigeria, and that is what the Book, Technology and Wealth of Nations now being launched, is trying to address and to resolve, so that Nigeria can move forward with the rest of the World in globally competitive Technology and Industrial Economy. The above Issues should form in my View a Functional Blueprint for Education at all Levels of Education in Nigeria.

Thanks again for those of you who will honor my Invitation for the Book Launch, Tuesday August, 24, 2021 at Abuja.

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