The Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, and senator representing Ondo North, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, has urged the Federal Government to increase investments in science and technology in order to accelerate the progress of the country.
In an exclusive interview with our correspondent, Boroffice said Nigeria as a leading African nation needed to concentrate more on the improvement of science and technology to move forward.
He said, “There is a need for improved funding for Science, Technology and Innovation in Nigeria. I have been asked about the roles of Science and Technology in nation building several times. My opinion is simple. Without adequate funding of science and technological innovations, Nigeria will not make much progress as a nation. Whatever problem you want to solve is related to science and technology. South Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore were all facing the problems we have, but when they started funding science and technology, they moved forward.
“If we fail to provide adequate funding for the sector, we will continue to be a consumer of imported science equipment from other countries, which is why we still import everything we use in this country.”
The lawmaker also urged his colleagues in the Senate to spend the period of the second year anniversary of the 8th Senate to reflect on both their challenges and successes at the National Assembly.
Recounting his efforts in the Senate, he maintained that, “In the first half of the 8th Senate, I have sponsored about five bills and four of them are at various stages of legislation. The bills are the Presidential Transition Bill, the Nigerian Council for Food Science and Technology (Est.etc) Bill, the Unclaimed Funds Bill, the Private Investigator Bill and the Defence Space Administration Bill.
“The Bill on Defence Space Administration attracts a special mention because it has not only gone through all the stages of legislation, it has also been assented to by His Excellency, the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo GCON. The Bill was passed by the 8th Senate and it was assented to by the Executive on the 7th of February, 2017.”
On the successful passage of the Defence Space Administration Bill, the senator, who also commended the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki, maintained that the Act establishes the Defence Space Administration, develop satellite technology and ensures security of the nation’s cyber activities.
He added that the establishment of the DSA has enabled the Nigerian military to have an institutional framework within which to explore space science and technology in pursuing its objectives, particularly in the war against insurgency in the North East geo-political zone.
The act also empowers the military to launch drones, which are part of standard military operations in managing warfare.
