Nigeria’s continuing Industrial and Technological Underdevelopment:

Introductory Overview:

 Nigeria after over 50 years of Political Independence has remained incapable or unable to produce, manufacture and export any globally competitive modern technologies of production and services in Nigeria’s economy and to manufacture globally competitive industrial goods. Nigeria’s economy has remained, over the years, a technology and industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) import dependent for any form of Industrial Economy. The Central Bank of Nigeria has recently invoked a Forex Exchange Restriction on 41 Items including plastic and rubber products, poultry products vegetable oil, cosmetics, roofing sheets, wheel barrows and tooth picks among others which can easily be produced in Nigeria.  There has been outcry from local manufacturers because there are no foreign exchange to import the plants and machinery for producing these simple and basic items in Nigeria. This is in the face of laudable Nigeria’s economic development policies of import substitution and backward integration of the 1970s and 1980s in addition to the establishment of a large number of R&D and Technology production Agencies.      

Nigeria’s Economic Development Planning, starting from 1962-1968 Plan, has been based on foreign produced capital- intensive Technologies (plant and machinery) input and on what money is available to import these technologies and industrial goods inputs. When the money is not available as many times, the case, the Plans usually fail to meet the Plan objectives. 

Nigeria from 1976 after the Civil War of 1967-1970, began to establish domestic R&D and Technology development Institutions such as PRODA, Enugu, Federal Science Equipment Manufacturing Centre (now Equipment Development Institute) Enugu, restructuring FIIRO, Lagos into Technology development Institute in 1979, NOTAP, Abuja for technology innovation on imported technologies in support of domestic SMEs operating in the economy,  NASENI, Abuja for industrial plants and machinery industrial infrastructure production in the economy, and RMRDC, Abuja for domestic production of industrial chemicals such as organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, and special chemicals such as fertilizers and explosives which consume a large chunk of Nigeria’s foreign currency. As at present nothing, repeat nothing or extremely very little competitive plant and machinery input is coming from these R&D and Technology development Agencies. Yet the Federal Government which established these Institutions lack the capacity to review them, question, or sanction them to make them undertake their technology development mandates.

 Why has Nigeria been unable to establish and sustain domestic endogenous capacity for Industrial Economy or modern Technology and Research Industry base in her economy?

 This Paper is an attempt to provide the reasons for Nigeria’s continuing Technology and Industrial Economy underdevelopment and what to do to address these reasons. There are a number of reasons for this impasse but the two main reasons are (1) the limited scope and deficiencies in Science and Technology (S&T) activities inherited from the Techno-Economic Development Policy of Lord Fredrick Lugard, the first Governor General of Nigeria, 1914-1918.  Lugard’s techno -economic development Policy for Nigeria is well enunciated in his Book titled “The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa” 4^th Edition, 1929. More on this Policy later. and (2) the inability of the Nigeria’s Leadership Elite in Politics and Government to resolve the Crises of Political Instability in the Governance of Nigeria as a Nation State of over 250 differing ethnic Nationalities which undermine real economic development progress in the country.  The first reason is to be found in Lord Lugard’s Book titled “The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa” 4^th Edition, 1929. More on this later. The second reason is Nigeria’s poor understanding of the Role of Science and Technology activities in the Economic development process which is exacerbated by Nigeria’s inability to sustain a united, patriotic and peaceful Federation, a major Instrument for sustainable Economic growth and development. The latter reason is a public knowledge and need not be discussed further. What is being discussed here therefore has to do mainly with the limited scope of Science and Technology Activities undertaken in Nigeria and the related limited domestic endogenous capability and or capacity for Technology and Industrial goods production in Nigeria’s economy.

      Definition of Science and Technology Activities for sustaining Economic Development:

 What do Science and Technology (S&T) activities for techno-economic development of Nations really consist of and what S&T activities are in fact taking place now in Nigeria’s economy?  It is well – known that the scope and content of Science and Technology activities going on in globally competitive technological and industrial Nations such as Europe, North America and Japan and the now fast industrializing and fast- growing Nations such as China, India, South Korea and Brazil, for example, consist the following, namely:

• Education and Training in the Science and Technology disciplines (namely Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Medical Sciences respectively), 
• Scientific Research for deeper knowledge acquisition of the S&T disciplines which may lead to inventions, discoveries and or new scientific knowledge, both education and research activities may take place in Universities and or in related Academies,
• Education and Training for professional and technical skills acquisition for the production of modern science- based technics (technologies for short) of production and services in the economy which activities take place in Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology, Technical Colleges and related Crafts schools, and these institutions are normally far larger in number than Universities in most industrial economies,
• Research and Development (R&D) Institutions for conversion of inventions and discoveries including the output of Scientific knowledge into prototype technologies and prototype industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials respectively) in the economy,
• Mass production and manufacture of proven technologies and industrial goods, and
• Technology Innovation that is modification, upgrading and or improvement of existing Technologies to produce new Technologies in the Economy, taking place in R&D Institutions and at the ground workshop floor of Industrial Enterprises, small, medium, and large.

Have, a close look on the above activities and the Question then is, are the above stated S&T activities actually being undertaken in Nigeria’s economy?  Does Nigeria now operate a Technology and Research Industry that is an Economy that produces and manufactures modern technologies of economic production and services in the economy and that manufactures globally competitive industrial goods (Capital (equipment, machines, measuring, and control instruments including computers and engineering and machine tools), consumer items and industrial materials, etc. respectively in the economy.? If not, can the country sustain a globally competitive Industrial economy? This is what the National Economic Society (NES) should seriously address, If not Nigeria’s technology and industrial goods import dependence will not only continue but increase and accelerate.   

 A Word on the Rise of Modern Science, Technology and Industrial Economy in Europe:

It is useful to state here, for purposes of clarity, proper understanding, and appreciation on how Science and Technology activities and Industrial Economy came into being in Europe starting from the 17^th Century AD to 19^th Century AD. Technologies and related Industrial Economy emerged in Europe in the 18^th and 19^th Century AD. Nigeria’s Economic Development Planners should appreciate that Science and Technology is not a Manna from Heaven but a result of human effort and ingenuity. The emergent technology induced Industrial Economic changed the scope and the complexity of the economy by introducing industrial goods that is goods outside Natural goods. This made the Conventional and or Traditional Economy of hoes and Cutlasses of human heritage no longer competitive. The mother of Industrial Economy is modern Technology. The latter that is Technology is what is referred to as modern Technics of production and services in the Economy as opposed to cutlasses, hoes, human and livestock energy of Conventional and or Traditional Economy of Human heritage. It is the application of the emergent modern Technologies in Europe’s Economy that gave rise to the production of goods outside Natural goods, now referred to as Industrial goods. The massive production of the new Industrial goods (namely capital, consumer items and industrial materials, respectively) brought about what is now referred to as an Industrial Economy or Industrial Age first in Europe and the subsequent emergence of the Industrial Revolutions in Europe in the 18^th and 19^th Century AD, which changed the scope and complexity of the World economy.

The Impact of the Emergence of Industrial Economy in Europe on African Nations including Nigeria:

What are the impacts of Europe’s Industrial Economy on the industrialization of African Countries including Nigeria?  First Africa has the primary raw materials that are required to sustain and accelerate prolific Industrial Revolutions taking place in Europe. Africa was only involved in Conventional or Traditional Economy of human heritage and was not even aware of these Industrial Revolutions when Europe came looking for the relevant raw materials which Tropical Africa had in abundance. That is the main reason why European Nations colonized Africa. Does Africa think that Europe will allow African Countries to acquire domestic endogenous capacity to produce globally competitive technologies and Industrial goods in their economy in order to compete with them?  Lord Fredrick Lugard answered the Question by saying No Way and this No is well enunciated in his (Lugard) Book titled the Dual Mandate in Tropical Africa. Lugard’s Answer is well illustrated in the next paragraph (The Scramble for African Raw Materials). This Answer must be understood and internalized by Nigeria’s Economic Development Planners and Plan Executors.

The Scramble by Europe for African Raw Materials for Industrialization of Europe:

In the scramble for these Africa’s primary raw materials for Europe’s Industrialization, European Powers had to fight one another or each other in their effort to grab the best country in Africa, south of Sahara Desert, with these relevant primary raw materials but eventually settled their scramble fight in a mutual Conference held in 1884-1885 in Berlin, Germany which partitioned and shared Africa south of Sahara among the European Powers. Each European Power was free to decide on how to control its allocation and collection of the relevant primary raw materials, provided they do not infringe on the parts of Africa allocated to each Power. Most European Powers opted for Colonization and Control of their own allocations. The British allocations around the River Niger down to the Delta of the River Niger terminating in Atlantic Ocean, consisting of the following Nations namely Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Kanuri, Fulani, Ibibio, Tiv, Edo, Nupe, Ijaw, Urhobo, etc. totaling over 200 Nations were amalgamated or coupled together willy-nilly and named Nigeria by the British Imperial Power and Colonial Diplomacy to ease control and management of the allocated Entity now named Nigeria by Britain. Again this Information is useful for those who still believe that Europe came to Africa at the turn of 20^th century AD on Tourist attraction.

British Colonial Policy for Science and Technology for Economic Development in Nigeria:

The Policy for the exploitation of Nigeria’s abundant Raw Materials for the sustenance of British prolific Industrialization and technology and industrial goods production was well spelt out by the first Governor General of Nigeria, namely Lord Fredrick Lugard, 1914-1918 in his Book, 4^th Edition 1929 titled “The Dual Mandate of Europe in Tropical Africa”. The Tropics and its primary raw materials, he said, are a heritage of mankind which other Continents including the Native Races of Africa who need them have a right to exploit. His Dual Mandate states as follows, “Europe is in Africa for the “mutual benefit of Europe‘s industrial classes, and the Native Races of Africa”. The mutual benefit of Europe and African Races is defined as follows namely that African Colonies will get from Europe modern technologies and industrial goods and that Europe shall get in return primary raw materials (primary agricultural and mineral commodities) which Europe requires for her prolific technologies and industrial goods production. It is this policy, one observes, that guided the techno-economic and industrial growth and development in Nigeria from 1914 -1960 and inexplicably has been sustained without question by Nigeria’s Political Leadership Elite in Government since the termination of Colonial Rule in 1960.    

In this Policy, Nigeria as a Nation State was or is not expected and might not be even allowed to undertake any Science and Technology activities in her economy that may lead to the production and manufacture of globally competitive modern Technologies of production and services and of Industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials respectively) manufacture in Nigeria’s Economy as that will undermine or compromise the Dual Mandate Policy of Europe in Tropical Africa. Please have a look at the Curriculum of University College Ibadan (our Premier University) from 1948-1962. Again, to ensure that this does not happen, the British Colonial Authorities between 1914-1960 established only one University College at Ibadan and affiliated it to the Senate of the University of London, England, to make assurance doubly sure and also went ahead to ensure that no Engineering, no Technology, no Materials study no Professional Skills Courses were established in the University College Ibadan from 1948 – 1960. The Colonial Authorities went further to ensure that no Polytechnics , no Colleges of Technology and no Technical Colleges were established in Nigeria to train manpower in technology and industrial goods production, services and manufacturing skills , no R&D institutions to convert inventions and scientific  discoveries into technologies and industrial goods, no technology innovation activities in the economy to modify and upgrade any existing technologies in Nigeria’s economy to become new technologies and that no industrial establishment was allowed to operate technology innovation at the workshop floor of their operations as happens in industrial countries of Europe and North America.  The forgoing can be said to be the genesis of Nigeria’s technological and industrial goods production predicament.

However in keeping with the Policy of “Dual Mandate in Tropical Africa”, the British Colonial Authorities did establish a number of Agricultural Scientific Research Institutes in support of the growth of primary raw commodities of interest to British Home Industrial and Economy such as West African Institute for Oil Palm Research (for palm oil and palm kernel), West African Cocoa Research Institute (for primary Cocoa commodities) and West African Institute for Trypasonomiasis Research (to fight diseases that may affect Cattle Livestock which may limit required Cattle Hides and Skins for shoes, bags etc. making industries).  At Independence in 1960 all the West African Research Institutes were converted into Nigerian Research Institutes in 1964 to continue their respective primary raw materials activities in Nigeria following Nigeria’s Independence.  The attempt to establish an industrial research related institution in 1956, namely, FIRRO, Lagos, was again compromised by restricting FIRRO to general scientific research and assay on primary raw material commodities of interest to British economy to determine their suitability for use as industrial materials in British Industrial Economy. This was what FIIRO was doing at least up to 1976 and that is why FIIRO did not establish any Engineering Design and Fabrication Division until late 1979. The above has basically remained the situation in most Science and Technology activities in Nigeria since the termination of British Colonial rule in 1960. This has resulted in a situation where Nigeria’s economy can only export primary raw commodities including raw agricultural materials and primary raw minerals (solid, liquid and gaseous) from Nigeria’s economy.

The above Statements should not be misunderstood as a criticism of British colonization of Nigeria, as Britain clearly stated this Policy at the inception of Nigeria’s Colonization It is the responsibility of Nigeria’s Political Authorities to address and change the Policy at Independence in 1960

Post -Civil War 1967-1970 Changes in Nigeria’s Science and Technology Activities.

Nigeria’s Economic situation has remained basically unchanged at least until 1972, when the now defunct East Central State of Nigeria established a Projects Development Agency (PRODA) for modern technologies and industrial goods production for the first time in Nigeria’s history. This Action taken by the Scientists and Engineers who worked in Biafra was meant to offer opportunity for self- employment to Scientists, Engineers, Technologists and Technicians of Eastern Nigeria origin who worked in the defunct State of Biafra but who could not get back their jobs back  after the Civil war of 1967-1970, either in the Federal Public Service or the now defunct Eastern Nigeria Regional Civil Service which employed them before the Civil War, due to no available vacancies to accommodate or absorb them.

With the end of the Civil War of 1967-1970 and in the absence of a clear National Policy for domestic capacity building for modern technologies and industrial goods production and manufacture, the Nigeria’s Economic Development Plans of 1962-1968, 1970-1974, 1975 -1980, 1981-1985 etc. most of which failed to realize their plan objectives were based on imported foreign capital technologies and what money was available to buy or pay for these technologies and industrial goods inputs and when the money was not available, as mostly the case, the Plans usually failed. Even the efforts made by the Federal (Central) Government after the Civil War to establish the following R&D Institutions for technologies and industrial goods production under Federal Government control, namely, PRODA, FIIRO, NASENI, RMRDC, NOTAP, etc. also have failed to produce and manufacture modern production technologies and industrial goods including industrial materials as required within their respective mandates practically for lack of domestic endogenous capability and or capacity for technologies and industrial goods production in the economy.. In the existing 36 Federating Units of Nigerian Federation, no Federating Unit except for establishing Universities, has cared to establish Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges for economic production and manufacturing skills acquisition and or professional and technical skills.  Few which tried to establish such skills Institutions, have to quickly change them to Universities, which give University Degrees as most people in Nigeria seems to be ready to see himself or herself tagged for life with College Diploma instead of the more acclaimed and prestigious University Degrees.  In such a situation it is difficult if not hopeless for Nigeria to build and sustain a competitive Industrial Economy and or an Industrial goods production base in her economy. The above are matters which should be of high priority by National Economic Society.

Nigeria with many Universities but few Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges:

Although Nigeria has established a very large number of Universities with faculties of Science and Technology disciplines, that have not solved the problem because unfortunately and inexplicably, this has not been followed by establishing in number and quality the necessary Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges required to train and develop professional skills for technology and industrial goods production and manufacture in Nigeria’s economy. As of now no Plans are available to address the unnecessarily large number of Universities, in comparison, with few Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology and Technical Colleges in Nigeria compared with what obtains in globally competitive Industrial Nations where the Universities are far fewer than Polytechnics and Technical Colleges. UK of Great Britain for example, Nigeria’s former Colonial Master, and a top Industrial Economy, had 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 which were training middle level Technologists, Technicians etc. in Professional and Technical Skills for technologies of production and services and for industrial goods manufacture in the British Economy. Virtually all the Technologies of production and services in Nigeria’s economy are imported from Industrial Nations.       

What to do to resolve Nigeria’s technologies and Industrial Goods production Predicament:

So what can Nigeria now do to resolve her Technology and industrial goods production and manufacture predicament and to solve her technological and Industrial underdevelopment and related poverty predicament, now exacerbated by the current Economic recession in a situation where Nigeria cannot export enough primary raw materials and even in Crude Petroleum oil exports, the price has plummeted in the world market and even the quantity to be exported is limited by the scandalous destruction of oil and gas pipe lines and economic assets in Niger Delta by destructive and uncaring insurgents which call themselves Avengers? What really can Nigeria now possibly do to accelerate the building of her domestic endogenous capability and or capacity for modern technologies production and for the manufacture of globally competitive industrial goods in Nigeria both for domestic use and for export?  (i) First we note that Nigeria has built over the years from 1976, the institutional Resources for Science and Technology activities, albeit not working as designed but can be reorganized and used as a starting base (ii) Nigeria needs to resolve the Crises of Nigeria as a Nation State, please see my Article in the Guardian Newspaper of 27 and 28 December, 2016 titled “To resolve the crisis of Nigeria as a Nation State (iii) There is need to review, reorganize and streamline the Mandates of the existing Research and Development (R&D) Institutions (PRODA, FIIRO,  NASENI, NOTAP,  RMRDC etc. in order to streamline them to serve as technology and industrial goods production Agencies) including bringing back the existing Federal Universities of Technology to their original mandates of Technology Development to enable them function as Technology capacity building institutions for the economy away from the Conventional Universities (whose primary mandate is education and research in the S&T disciplines) as earlier designed in 1982 (iv) There is need for a Technology Policy that will require Nigeria’s Industrial production and manufacturing enterprises to establish Technology Innovation Divisions at the Workshop floor of their operations as is the case in fast industrializing and fast growing Nations such as China, India, South Korea, Singapore and Brazil (v) There is need for Nigeria’s future Economic Development Plans to ensure sustainable domestic technology inputs including domestic Technology innovation activities, in the Plans in addition to foreign Technology and Industrial goods inputs, to ensure successful implementation of the Plans and the realization of the Plan objectives, it is not wise to plan economic development solely on imported foreign technologies alone and on what money is available to buy the needed technologies as presently the case  (vi) There is need to review the function of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology with substantial capital development funds to enable it function as a Technology Development Agency in Nigeria so that it is in a position to employ seasoned and experienced Scientists, Engineers , Technologists and Professionals versed in Science and Technology as instrument for technology development and industrial goods production for economic development away from the bureaucratic and routine management based Nigeria’s Government Ministries.

The emergence fast Industrializing and fast- growing Industrial Nations of the World:

A number of Nations earlier in the same position of Nigeria emerged as fast -growing fast industrializing Nations of the World in modern technologies and industrial goods production and manufacture in competition with Europe North America and Japan. These Countries include China, India, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. Nigeria with her enormous resources, population and huge natural resources endowment ought to get into this Club of Industrial Nations.  But to get into this Club of Nations, Nigeria must first wean herself away from the Lugard’s Policy of “The Dual Mandate of Europe in Africa, which means Africa’s Primary Raw Materials for European Nations and other Industrial Nations in exchange for modern technologies and industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) from Europe and other Industrial Nations for Nigeria and other African countries. This wholesome techno-industrial Policy of Lord Lugard Colonial Technology and Industrial Development Policy has to be jettisoned by Nigeria. It is inexplicable that Nigeria since her Independence in 1960 is still plagued by this Colonial Policy of economic development. Nigeria should now build and sustain her domestic endogenous capability and or capacity to use modern Science and Technology activities to produce globally competitive modern technologies and industrial goods (capital, consumer items and industrial materials) in Nigeria’s economy.  This is the only way to move away from inherited and enduring Lugard Colonial Policy of Nigeria’s near total dependence on foreign produced technologies and foreign produced industrial goods to move forward and leapfrog into fast industrializing and fast growing Nations of the world and to compete with Europe, North America and Japan, the erstwhile powerful Triad of World Industrial Nations.

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