The saying that “necessity is the mother of invention” best describes the awakening from slumber by federal legislators in Nigeria, to put in place a policy framework to drive, coordinate and fund research.
A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Research and Innovation Council, National Research and Innovation Foundation and for other related matters, 2022 (SB. 758) scaled second reading in the senate on the 18th of January 2022, with patriotic Nigerians heaving a sigh of relief that at last, a reprieve has come.
The bill was sponsored by Senator Frank Ibezim.
Ibezim in his lead debate argued that the passage of the Bill will bring the NRIC under the proper legislative body as recommended by the policy.
In his contributions, Senator Smart Adeyemi who seconded Ibezim. Said, “Looking at the challenges confronting our country today, we must be looking at how we can open more frontiers in the area of economy and job opportunities. Adding that what this Bill seeks to do is to provide a legal framework towards research and innovation. He noted that this is the appropriate time to give adequate attention to innovation and research work.
“This Bill is a welcome development that all of us should support.”
Senator Robert Borroface in his comment gave support to the Bill and urged that it should be read the Second Time.
Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, in his comment, commended the Sponsor of the Bill. According to him, the Bill was in the Chamber in the 8th Senate and into the 7th Senate. He raised some grey areas in the Bill noting that there is an existing Raw Materials Research and Development Council that gets funding for research.
The Bill was read the Second Time and referred to the Committee on Science and Technology to report back within four weeks.
There is no gainsaying that the poverty and insecurity ravaging the country today cannot be divorced from lack of coordination and funding of research.
It is common knowledge that it is research that leads to job creation and elimination of unemployment. No wonder today, Nigeria has assumed the poverty capital of the world because it has relegated research and as a result, unemployment and insecurity is now the order of the day.
To surmount the insecurity pervading the country today, all stakeholders and indeed all Nigerians must put their hands on deck to ensure that the Bill for an Act to Establish the National Research and Innovation Council, National Research and Innovation Foundation and for other related matters, 2022 (SB. 758) is passed into law and assented to by the President.
President Muhammadu Buhari took the right step in the right direction when, upon assumption of office in 2015, and within a short period, he inaugurated the National Research and Innovation Council (NR&IC). The 9th senate is expected to use the rapour between it and the executive, especially Mr President, to kickstart a lasting process of economic recovery and development by passing this bill before the beginning of the electioneering campaign.
Nigeria, which can be likened to the garden of Eden – with rich mineral, human and material resources has no business with poverty and by extension insecurity if attention is paid to research funding and coordination.
The time to pass the Bill for an Act to Establish the National Research and Innovation Council, National Research and Innovation Fund and for other related matters, 2022 (SB. 758) is now.