The coronavirus pandemic, according to Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi, Minister of State for Science and Technology, is a wake-up call for nations to cooperate effectively on science and technology for wealth creation.
The minister made the remarks during a lecture he gave to young entrepreneurs and company executives at the First Immaculate Heart Comprehensive High School in Lagos on Sunday.
The lecture was titled “Technology, As A Key Driver To Nation Building: Prospects and Partnerships,” according to a press statement released in Abuja by Maryam Zakaria, the Minister’s Press Secretary.
In his lecture, the minister stated that synergy among nations was needed to build public confidence in science and technology through knowledge sharing.
He urged developed countries to make science, technology, and innovation (STI) a top priority in their development plans.
“Today, countries are classified as developed and developed based on economic index and the application of STI,’’ he said.
According to Abdullahi, countries with strong science and technology grew more quickly.
He added that innovation had become a key driver of any country’s economic, manufacturing, and technological advancement.
“The success of any nation is achieved through the effectiveness of the National Innovation System (NIS),” he said.
Nigeria has adopted the STI Roadmap 2017-2030, which includes nanotechnology, space technology, engineering, chemical technology, biotechnology, and leather technology, among other things, according to the minister.
He said that the advancements made by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology as a result of the National Leather Products Policy were assisting in the country’s economic growth.
Nigeria, he said, will be able to develop more advanced technologies through leather and textile.
He hinted that the ministry was preparing to open the National Science and Technology Museum, which would house historic scientific, technical, artistic, and cultural items for hands-on display.
“Visitors will have the opportunity to touch, dismantle and reassemble items on display.
“It would also afford children hands-on experience of different scientific processes”, Abdullahi said.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
