Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has tasked Nigerians to shift the emphasis from foreign goods, technologies, and innovations to locally produced goods and services.

He said the move would help immensely towards advancing the course of development and growth as well as assist in providing no opportunities for the army of unemployed youths, and the people and protect the future of the country.

Osinbajo stated this in his speech at the one day National Innovation Workshop with the theme: “Promotion of Local Inventors of Science, Technology and Innovation held on Friday at the International Conference Center, (ICC) Awka, the Anambra’ state capital.

The two day workshop is packaged by the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

This is as former Senate President, Chief Pius Anyim Pius Anyim said that Nigeria’s bright future is not a distant one, adding that the citizens should expect some of the key imperatives to dominate our world as early as the next five years.

Anyim said, “Our world has certainly changed with the infusion of fourth industrial revolution and in a very short while from now , talents and innovations are going to be the only dependable capital assets”

Also, the host Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo disclosed that the state has so far invested over N250 million for the establishment of Automotive Industrial Park at Akwa – Ihedi -: Uga Communities in the area .

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Osinbajo said Nigeria would be great again if the citizens continue to shift attention on consumption of foreign goods and patronage of science and technologies as well as innovations but they should adopt the tradition of keying into locally produced products with a view to reducing capital flight and boltering the nation’s economic growth.

Represented by the Minister of State for Science, Technology and innovation, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, the Vice President stated that the workshop would help change the narrative about the country as a dependent and consuming economy.

Soludo said, “Science and Technology Innovation must be mainstreamed by the National Assembly to help jump start the process ”

According to the governor, “Already, we in Anambra state have so far spent over N250 million to establish the Automotive Industrial Park at Akwa Ihedi and Uga Communities and part of our vision is to make Anambra state the Digital tribe of Nigeria and it is important to note that these local innovations and inventions cannot grow if we don’t patronize them”

On her part, Senator Uche Ekwunife representing Anambra Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, in her welcome address called for the commercialization of local Innovations iand inventions to encourage local manufacturers and boost youth employment.

Ekwunife who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology said
“Evidence from around the world has proved that research and innovation are necessary growth determinants which must work together to attain sustainable national growth and development.”

She cited that, “Innovation can be commercialized by firm’s but in Nigeria only a small proportion of entrepreneurial start ups are engaged in radical innovation.”

“In this era of rapidly changing technology and reduced product life cycles, a country’s ability to develop and successfully commercialize innovation has become a key competitive strength, ” Ekwunife stated.

“One of the major objectives of this workshop is mainly to improve on the present understanding of the role of research and innovation in the socio-economic development of Nigeria and to accelerate Nigeria from a resource economy to a knowledge based economy.”.

The senator noted that “research in our higher institutions and research centers are mainly for graduation projects and promotion and not for national development. This trend should be reviewed and reversed. Research should be market driven for development and problem solving. Ironically, these days, lecturers in tertiary institutions are being evaluated based on the number of papers they were and publish.”

“The challenge of sustainable economic development in Nigeria is as a result of the inability of Nigeria to increase productivity within its economy. It is pertinent to emphasize that any nation that wants to increase productivity must diversify economically and to diversify, science, technology and innovation must be put on the front burner of its developmental agenda through efficient buy-in from the relevant stakeholders and users of research outputs,” she added.