There have been series of efforts made by the government in making Nigeria one of the most developed nations in the world but all have proved abortive. Nigeria being the giant of Africa is behind in the area of technology. This is not because of lack of technological intellectuals but a consequence of the government’s lackadaisical attitude towards acknowledgement of these individuals. Year in year out, hundreds of inventors emerge from Nigeria’s universities but none is recognised by the government despite a number the inventions recorded by the universities against their names.
Often, when we look at the television beholding the security challenges plaguing the country, we mourn within ourselves knowing these are problems, which could easily be solved with the right technology. With the right financing, we could come up with highly sophisticated technologies that will not only fast track victory in the war against terrorists but also serve as starting point for us on our journey to becoming a highly developed nation. What more can bring pride to a nation than to see that, all of the sophisticated technologies it uses are built and developed by its indigenous inventors? This will not only bring pride to the nation but also earn the nation respect before other nations of the world.
I cannot but imagine how much we are being disregarded by other highly developed nations owing to the fact that, we buy virtually everything from them ranging from cars, phones, TV sets, computers, refrigerators to even chargeable lamps. I am almost certain that, when our president goes on meetings involving highly developed nations, he is most times looked down upon as they assume within themselves that, he is not able to develop the nation’s technology by motivating and empowering its indigenous inventors.
The world marvels and wonders what could be wrong with us given our enormous potentials and talents. Nigerians are exceptional in whatever we put our minds to archive. Look at our eaglets; they easily outmatch their opponents from other parts of the world. If only Nigeria’s young inventors could get the right financing from the government, they would definitely outmatch other inventors in the rest of the world. As someone with passion for technology, it really pains me that most of the problems plaguing the country today can be solved easily with application of the right technology.
It is a pity that, developed nations may not present us this technology we need as we just have to build it ourselves with the resources available to us. The nation is blessed with a good number of talented young scientists and technologists in our universities and polytechnics who have enthusiasm for technological inventions.
With sufficient support and funding, we could come together and form a team of great inventors’ intent on using technology as a means to solving the problems plaguing the nation. You never know in such a short time we could create a number of highly sophisticated technologies, that are capable of firing us from a developing nation into a highly developed nation; ‘from third world to first world’.
Ita, University of Benin, is reachable via mfonvictorita@gmail.com