Optimising research for development: Essentials of propelling ingenious adventures by conscious drive
Development in Nigeria has been a subject coloured with depths of discourse. The disheartening echoes of dirge over the state of underdevelopment the Country is wallowing in, has been a parody against the thoughts of what height the Country is expected to have attained by now. The perception of the state of insolvency of the Country amidst advantages of depths of resources left redundant, resonates a parodic rhythm of disappointments. It remains indisputable that it is sacrosanct that much is needed to be done with overarching strategies of concerted efforts.
Moving towards the course of developmental purposes in the Country is such that demands broadband marriage of vitalising propellants of growth. One of these courses, vibrant as growth propellant, is the significance of research. It is indisputable that the place of research remains incontrovertible for sectoral growth in any human endeavour. It is glaring that Countries in the world that have been able to drive industrial revolutions, attained the height of formidable development from uplifting inventions corroborated with innovations from time to time through brilliant researches. The consistency has pragmatically spur the evolution of sectors within their range to the height of virility to cater not only for their immediate domestic needs, but also for spread of advantages into other parts of the world.
It is however a reversal of thought in Nigeria, as the Country has only largely been reduced to depending on receiving whatever invention and innovation is coming from other parts of the world. Hence, the Country has been reduced to the classified character of a heavily dependent one. The depth of the disgust would partly be traced to poor orientation that has been nurtured against research. It appears the disposition towards research to drive inventions and innovations to spur development in the Country has been lacking, and where they could be perceived, they are deeply inconsequential to the demands of industrialisation and development in the Country.
It is apparent the quest for inventions and innovations in the Country is insignificant and infinitesimal; hence a sensational course has not been crafted for broad orientation towards this as a thirst where opportunities lie for human capacity and national development. Since the Government is known to be the institution of the society expected to navigate patterns of activities towards development purposes, it is not out of place that recourse to the Government for being responsible for the insensitivity holds sway. It is apparent that structures to encourage the arousal of such drive with appealing orientation among citizens have not been consciously constituted by the Government. Hence, the insensitive posture of successive administrations to navigating, by strategic means, efforts towards evoking ideological subscription to spur interests of citizens to delve into vitalising researches with vibrant outcomes to gravitate coordinated patterns towards bringing the potentials of the Country into the light of productive capacities, has remained a subject of concern which has left unsavoury sensations in the Country.
It is observable that the poor disposition, from the Government’s end, to craft institutions to encourage innovation and invention driven researches has left several researchers discouraged. The disposition is such which has constituted one of the factors of brain-drain in the Country, as researchers with brilliant prospects have continued to flee the Country to explore their potentials in saner climes where brave ingenuity is highly appreciated. Records of Nigerians who have been reckoned with as world champions over ground-breaking inventions and innovations remains a subject of concern. Several Nigerians are known to have fled the Country to explore their potentials where they draw instituted attractions. In such Countries, it is known that existing institutions have over time been structured to encourage ingenuity to spur national interest in coordinated quest for research driven inventions and innovations.
It is known that the absence of such structures in Nigeria has only left brilliant researchers discouraged, while potential ones have remained unnoticed and their talents redundant. While some institutions do exist, it is so glaring that their jurisdictional configurations are quite inconsequential to the depth of needs required in the Country. It was at the 35th National Conference of the Association of the Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) in Kano State University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil, Kano, disclosed that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has committed the sum of N9 billion to enable public tertiary institutions in Nigeria to undertake research towards shaping economic growth and development of the Country. Making the disclosure, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Prof. Suleiman Elias-Bogoro, who was represented by his Assistant Director, Research and Development, Dr. Hadiza Abdullahi, had challenged the heads of universities and academicians to key into the concept through institutionalisation and support of research and technological development in order to reverse all paradoxical indices of development of the Country.
He was quoted: “The fund (TETFund) has committed a total sum of N9 billion for the National Research Fund (NRF) to all public tertiary institutions to undertake applied research in various academic disciplines with 240 grants awarded, mostly from your institutions. The National Research Fund is an intervention aimed at promoting the conduct of applied research and innovation by academics in public tertiary educational institutions and research institutes with the main objective of driving the socio-economic development of Nigeria in an increasingly globalised and highly competitive knowledge-driven world economy. Nations all over the world have recognised that national growth and competitiveness (in the context of a globalised economy) depends very much on continuous technological improvement and innovation, driven by a well-organised vibrant research and development system, which integrates the research and training capacities of higher education with the needs of industry and the larger society.Universities in developing countries like Nigeria have been criticised as being substandard, lacking relevance to contemporary needs, highly elitist and generally costly. Our tertiary institutions should make efforts to reverse all paradoxical indices of development through institutionalisation and support of Research and Development which would drive and shape her contemporary society and civilisation for economic development.
“We at TETFund are convinced that Research and Development is a major driver of economic development and technological growth of nations. That Research and Development will not only contribute to the development of a mature and productive academic system in Nigeria but also to scientific innovations that will be useful to domestic industries amongst others. As front liners, Heads of Universities have to recognise the need to key into this indispensable concept in order to effectively maximize it’s tremendous benefits.”
It is pertinent that the Nigerian government awake to the consciousness of galvanising efforts towards crafting structural patterns into institutional formations to establish profound configurations necessary to spur positive orientations of expounding ideological quest towards research for inventions and innovations. It is indisputable for the good of the Country, that she cannot continue to trail the shadows of forward looking nations of the world without foresight towards homegrown civilisation and industrialisation. To pull Nigeria out of the classified categorisation as a backward-third-world Country, it is paramount for the Government to lead the course of navigating the path to raise conscious structures to spur national interests among citizens for coordinated purposes towards ingenuity to drive inventions and innovations. Such structural patterns should be institutionalised to encourage researchers to delve into brilliant adventures with prospects of inventions and innovations producing vibrant outcomes to drive development in the Country, and by extension, other parts of the world. Nigeria is blessed with geniuses whose potentials have the gravity to skyrocket the Country to the limelight of world-power with ground breaking records. While the potentials are indisputable, the Government however must stand at the vanguard to drive the course by conscious navigations.
