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Nigeria: Unesco Partners Nigeria On $5bn National Science Foundation
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Leadership (Abuja)
1 April 2008
Posted to the web 1 April 2008
Stella Eze
Nigeria's quest to be among the first twenty economies of the world by 2020 is gaining attention as the UNESCO has proposed a 5 billion dollars National Science and Technology Foundation to promote research and other fundamental issues.
Director and Country Representative of UNESCO and ECOWAS in Nigeria, Mr. Abhimanya Singh, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the maiden edition of the Nigeria/UNESCO quiz competition for primary and secondary schools across the country.
Singh said the proposal came up after an analytical study conducted by the agency on behalf of Nigeria, which necessitated the establishment of a national science and technology foundation to launch Nigeria into a more strategic position for the anticipated breakthrough in technology.
He said; "UNESCO is proposing a National Mathematics and Science Foundation worth 5 billion dollars. After an analytical and review studies done by UNESCO, a proposal emerged that the federal government of Nigeria should establish a science foundation to promote fundamental and other research in science and technology, which can be funded through an endowment of 5 billion dollars".
The proposal, which according to Singh aroused the interest of the immediate past administration, is also being considered by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
"The past administration took keen interest in the proposal, which was prepared along with legislation for consideration with the Federal Executive Council (FEC). And that is now being taken up as an important priority by the new administration", he explained.
The UNESCO scribe also bemoaned what he called a mind set of Nigerians, which discourages the girl child from delving into the study of sciences, saying the subject is for both sexes.
According to him, there was need to encourage more women into fields of Engineering, and other related courses, which they are not allowed to do because of conservative attitudes of Nigerians.
Commenting on the quiz competition, which attracted participants from schools across Nigeria, he said it would stimulate interest in science education and as well, change the mind set of people on sciences.
He noted that UNESCO has been supporting Nigeria in science and technology education for over 60 years, adding that it would continue to assist in whatever way it was needed.
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Permanent secretary of the ministry of education, Dr. Umaru Aji in his opening address said the Nigeria/UNESCO special quiz competition was a presidential initiative and the pilot phase, driven by the Steering and Implementation Committees inaugurated at both state and federal levels.
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