Exclusive@ITRealms
The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly (NASS) on Monday
held a public hearing on a purported bill to establish the National Research
and Innovation Bill, 2016, with President Muhammadu Buhari and all his Minster
as members, reports ITRealms.
The bill being sponsored by Senator David Umaru,
representing Niger East Senatorial district of Niger State seeks an Act to
provide for the establishment of the National Research and Innovation Council
(NRIC), National Research and Innovation Foundation; and related matters also
held public hearing on a public holiday in Nigeria.
According to the proposed bill in Part I, the public hearing
which held at Room 022 Ground floor of the Senate Wing of the National
Assembly, dwelt on the establishment of the National Research and Innovation
Foundation Governing Board, among others, Senator Umaru also proposed in
subsection 2 (1) a Council which shall consist of the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria as the chairman and other members comprising the vice
president also as the vice chairman.
Umaru in the bill also in 2 (1b) proposed that the Council
include all ministers appointed in accordance with the provision of the 1999
Constitution, a representative of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
(MAN); President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines
and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Executive Secretary, National Research and
Innovation Foundation as the Secretary of the Council.
He also proposed that such other number of persons not
exceeding five appointed by the President on the joint recommendation of the
Governing Board of the Foundation and the Technical Advisory Committee to
further assist the Council in the discharge of its functions.
Reacting to the revelation, some industry observers called
on other stakeholders to stand up and condemn this proposed bill as it serves
no purpose for the nation other than political massaging.
In the first instance, they argued that the bill and its
proposed Council will do Nigeria no good as there are over 200 research
institutions in the country till date, dealing on several subsectors including
so-called innovation and research.
Buttressing this argument, some of the industry observers
noted that in Science and Technology alone, there are some 17 parastatals,
namely National Board For Technology Incubation (NBTI), Energy Commission of Nigeria
(ECN), The Nigerian
Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Nigerian Institute For
Trypanosomiasis And Onchocerciasis (NITR), National
Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), National Centre For Technology Management (NACETEM), National Office For Technology
Acquisition And Promotion (NOTAP), Nigerian
Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), National Space Research &
Development Agency (NARSDA), and Raw Materials
Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Abuja.
Others, this school of thought argued include Nigerian
Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI), National Institute of Leather Science and Technology (NILEST),
Zaria, National
Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT), Zaria, Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), Abuja, Project Development Institute
(PRODA), Enugu, Federal
Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure
(NASENI), Abuja.
They further recalled that even under the Ministry of
Communications, for instance, there is Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian
Postal Service (NIPOST), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSAT) and Galaxy Backbone.
Industry watchers posited that for instance, within
NITDA, there is an office for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, whereas, there
are multiple research institutions already in existence.
Therefore,
they wondered what is really the motive of the proposed Council outside the
name as the already existing over 20 parastatals and covers the so-called
‘innovation and research’ in their mandates.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
1 comment:
What a good information. its well thought of, for Makinde visits to IGP of Police
Post a comment