By Yusuf Adua
No country can develop and advance beyond its strengths in science and technology. For Nigeria, the country should have become a science and technology powerhouse if wishes were horses.I
The question of whether or not the country is making sufficient progress in these areas is a nuanced one fraught with challenges and possibilities. Let’s delve into some of them right away.
Development in science and technology begins with education. So, it is a source of pride that the country is home to a growing number of prestigious educational institutions that train the next generation of scientists and tech enthusiasts.
Students across the country are beginning to create adaptable solutions to national problems in all areas, not limited to medicine and alternative energy. We now have young Nigerians with highly recognized global standing making waves in the sector.
But it is also worrying that even though there are institutions, the testimonials of the attendees of these institutions have not been pleasing. Students have voiced out that, despite attending these institutions coloured with science and technology, they are only exposed to mere theories.
We have agencies, but no agents
The government of Nigeria has shown a dedication to promoting innovation and technical advancement.
We now have the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), a ministry of the digital economy, and a ministry of innovation.
Undeniably, they suggest that the country and its leaders are waking up to the 21st century challenge. But no agency in Nigeria’s system is likely to be free from corruption and other ineptness associated with civil service in the country.
Gateway to startups and fraud
Many young Nigerians have shaped their creativity and enthusiasm towards science and technology, enterprises, and innovation.
Science and technology have now become mainstream in the country, contributing to finance, health, and commerce.
It has now meant that you don’t need the government before you can function in the country’s labour force, so long as you integrate your whichever discipline into science and technology.
This positive should not, however, be allowed to obscure the many obstacles that continue to stymie the prospect of tech solutions we are having now. More than any other time, Nigerians have become perpetrators of tech-related fraud and are at the receiving end of its dangers.
There is a 57.4% increase in the use of Information Technology resulting in a 100% increase in Public Sector fraud in Nigeria. In fact, some schools of thought opine that the dangers of fraud outweigh the benefits of science and technology in the country. According to them, every tech solution in the country has an equal chance of fraud and breach of privacy.
There are things we have chosen to ignore
We will not admit that the country has improved in the area of science and technology until we can ascertain that we have filled in the gap between the access to technology of the people in our major cities and rural areas.
Inequality in science and technology facilities, reliable power, high-speed internet, and state-of-the-art laboratories will continue to hamper whatever breakthrough the country is making.
It is so because it will mean that every success recorded by the country is not wholesome. The country has successfully created a set of people advancing their science and tech destinies and another hoping to be saved and helped.
And those burning issues that keep reoccurring
The gender gap in STEM fields, the worsening economic situation, and inadequate research and development (R&D) spending over the long term Creating a harsh environment for tech companies are lingering problems we have decided not to solve.
Not only that, Nigeria’s security condition hinders the country’s progress in the realms of science and technology. Foreign investors have been put off by the state of security in some areas, and progress in R&D has been stymied as a result. The development of new technologies relies on a secure and safe setting that Nigeria as a country has fallen short of providing.
