Onu charges educational, research institutions to partner, develop Nigeria

The Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Mr Ogbonnaya Onu, has charge educational and Research Institutions to partner to advance the nation’s research centres, promote job creation and develop the country’s economy.

Onu gave the charge on Monday in Benin while on a courtesy visit to Edo Government House, Benin.

He said that the synergy had become imperative as the collaboration would boost the Nation’s economy.

According to him, all the centres of Knowledge in the nation, be it University, research laboratories, Institutes and Polytechnic have been working independently on their own as if others don’t exist.

“It’s not good enough for Nigeria as a nation.

“It has created tremendous problem for the nation as we have our problem that we need to collaborate to solve but instead we now import everything we need and it’s not good for us as a nation.

“We now export jobs and have serious unemployment problem in the country. This can only be checked if we start producing in Nigeria.

“We want to establish technology and Innovation centres for global competitiveness.

“These centres will be established in the six geo-political zones as all the universities, polytechnics, research laboratories and institutes in each of the zones will come together, collaborate, to help accelerate development in Nigeria.

“We will no longer allow all these centres of knowledge to work independently but rather start working together to enable them to carry out good research that will solve the nation’s problem, he said.

In his remark, Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, appreciated the minister for his foresight of uniting the institutions to propel development in the country.

Obaseki called on the Federal Government to allow states have significant control over research institutes particularly those of oil palm and rubber.

“We are glad for the initiative of trying to bring everybody together under one sector, which is the Nigerian sector. The ministry is an enabler in the Nigerian economy.

“What you have started is the right way to go and we have no choice but execution is the issue.

“There is nothing new in this country, but everything said has been written and researched over again but didn’t happen because of self interest, not national interest.

“I assure the minister that Edo is ready to work with the ministry as the State is blessed with different Federal institutions in the state as they work independently rather than working together to develop the state and nation at large,” he said.

Obaseki assured the minister and its entourage that his administration would collaborate with the ministry and thoroughly wanted to support the ministry as it was anxious to make things happen.