Onu: Neglect of Science and Technology, Bane of Nigeria’s Underdevelopment
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has attributed the Nigeria’s inability to join the league of developed nations to the failure of her leaders to pay sufficient attention to science and technology.
Describing science and technology as the most important determining factor that separates nations into either developed or undeveloped, Onu said that no single nation whether in the ancient or modern time has ever been great without science and technology.
“History has shown that nations that prospered and made significant contributions to human civilization were those which embrace knowledge, especially technology knowledge.”
Delivering the 2016 convocation lecture of the University of Lagos, tagged: ‘Positioning Nigeria as the technology hub of Africa,’ the minister noted that Nigeria had never paid enough attention to science and technology.
“It is important to point out that even the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology which should coordinate science and technology activities in the country was in the past treated as if the nation did not know what to do with it.”
According to him, Nigeria being one of the three countries that the world was convinced to have had the greatest prospects for rapid development after the Second World War could not meet the expectations because of its inability to accord the study and application of science and technology in harnessing it rich human and natural resources the desired attention.
“It is instructive that at the end of the Second World War when the urge for all nations to become independent was intense, the world was convinced that three countries of India, Nigeria and Brazil held the greatest prospects for rapid development.
“As time passed by, India and Brazil met those expectations. However, Nigeria which has an abundance of human and material resources and was for a very long time the sixth largest exporter of crude oil could not.”
Explaining how the power of technology was used to transform such countries like Singapore, Brazil, Japan, China, among others, Onu noted that it was important that nations that are anxious to modernise and become competitive in the global arena must place a high premium on the acquisition of knowledge, especially scientific and technological knowledge.
“It is necessary to observe that just as the acquisition of knowledge has helped nations embrace prosperity, its neglect has impacted negatively on the fortunes of countries.”
Charting the way forward towards improving the study and application of science and technology in schools and the country’s national life, the minister said: “This generation must do more. The time has come for Nigeria and Africa to rise up and use science, engineering, technology, and innovation to sufficiently exploit the enormous natural resources God put in Africa for us.”
“If other people from far and near can come to Nigeria and Africa to take and use our abundant natural resources to develop their countries, what is wrong in our using the same resources to develop Nigeria and Africa? Onu asked.