For the nation’s numerous research institutes, it is really a sorry state of affairs. In fact, they have been dubbed failures, due to their inability to make new discoveries in diverse fields.
There is no doubt that their intervention is crucial and needed in Medicine, Science, Technology, as well as wealth creation to grow Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What do research institutes do? The answers are explicit. As their core function, research institutes gather and analyse data, engage in experimentation, formulate theories, conduct analyses and produce reports from experiments for the use of interested parties.
There is no doubt that the nation’s research institutes are not living up to their billing as centres of excellence, mainly because of daunting challenges.
Some of these are rooted in lack of policy, inadequate funds, lack of equipment, poor planning, corruption, poor infrastructure and low patronage.
X-raying these issues, the Secretary of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Dr. Theophilus Ndubuaku, lays the challenges of the country’s industrialisation via research on the doorsteps of the government’s refusal to properly fund research institutes.
On poor funding, the unionist notes that even the little budgeted for research are not released to the appropriate quarters.
Ndubuaku says, “If you visit many institutes, you will see many vehicles parked, yet their researchers do not have one naira to publish papers or to do research.”
He also accused many government appointees of running the institutes aground, adding, “When you give somebody a job and you do not control him, he will just run riot.’’
But while Ndubuaku and his school of thought are raising the alarm and making accusations and counter-claims as to why the research institutes are disadvantaged, people are wondering why our researchers are not engaged in research into such crucial projects as COVID-19 vaccines development like foreign counterparts.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has been beaming its searchlight on the activities of the research institutions in the country, probing into their financial activities in the last ten years.
To this end, the chief executive officers of ten research institutions were early in the year summoned by the House Committee on Science Research Institutes for a hearing. According to a document sighted by ThisNigeria, the institutions under searchlight are the Project Development Institute (PRODA) Enugu, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), Nigeria Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and Nigeria Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILST).
Others are Nigeria Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Nigeria Institute for Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
According to sources close to the committee, the House of Representatives is not satisfied with the roles of the research institutions generally, and specifically in the fight against COVID-19.
This paper learnt that, among several queries raised which bothered on the lacklustre attitude of the institutes towards general research, are that most of those who have championed the cause of discovering a vaccine are individual organisations like the Catholic Church, and not even a government research agency.
Flowing from this, ThisNigeria gathered that a terse and heavily-worded letter, addressed to the ten CEOs, was written, warning them of the commencement of real-time oversight of their activities.
The letter signed by Hon. Olaide Akinremi, Chairman of the House Committee on Science Research Institutes, and entitled: ‘’Commencement of Real-Time Oversight Evaluation of Your Activities and Operations, Pursuant to Section 88, and Section 89(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1990, as amended, also has a proviso entitled: ‘’Demand of Information and Documents from Your Agency’’.
In the body of the memo, the committee demanded a copy of the establishing Act of the agencies, any other instrument of relevance where there is no establishing Act, a schedule and particulars of Board/Council members, including top management cadre.
Also top on the demand lists are schedules of approved budgets of all the agencies from 2010 to 2020, as well as: ‘’Reports on Budget Performance Within the Same Period: Reports on Fund Surpluses/Unutilised Fund (showing composition as to cash balances, bank balances and foreign currency as at 31st annually for the last ten years.
The Committee also probed the annual audited accounts of the research institutes as at December, for 2010–2020
Others are schedules of evidence of remittance or return of balances to the Federation Account in each of the financial years from 2010 to 2020.
Also demanded are all copies of management account for the period under review, as well as letters from their external auditors upon audit as of 31st for each of the financial years from 2010 to 2020.
In addition, all schedules of borrowing by the agencies with applicable dates, showing lender, collateral, amount, purpose, nature of borrowing, drawdown history, balance at each year-end, as well as fixed asset register for each year of the financial years between 2010 and 2020, as well as foreign grants, schedules of all payments as counterpart funding with respect to specified programs/projects for which a local or international entity made contributions, among other demands made by the committee.
It, however, cautioned the CEOs to provide the requested documents in earnest.
‘No where in the world where Sovereign Debt Management is ceded to private sector’
Part of the memo reads: ‘’You may recall that at the just concluded interactive session that I had emphasised the need for mutual cooperation to assist the committee to carry out its mandate most effectively; and that our procedures and methods shall be timely, thorough and very comprehensive, such that will enhance national development.
‘’To this end, please take notice that a demand is hereby made on you to cause the under listed information and document to be delivered before the end of work on Tuesday, 9th March 2021.’’
