By Obioma C. Appolos
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Mohammadu Buhari to immediately sign into law the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) Bill into law, saying it will translate into a tool for mass job creation.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba in his May Day speech said the Bill which was recently passed by the National Assembly and awaiting Presidential assent is very vital to Nigeria’s quest for technological revolution, industrialization, human security, inclusive national development and shared prosperity.
Wabba said the research and technology is key to the nation’s quest to achieve industrialisation and technological advancement, saying once established, the NRIC Bill has the capacity to ensure adequate funding for researchers.
The NLC president bemoaned poor funding of research in the country, stressing that there is urgent need to create the legal framework to ensure adequate funding in research institutions.
He said, “part of the broad strategy to create mass decent jobs should include very ambitious drive to develop our mining and solid minerals sector.
“Nigeria is endowed with diverse solid minerals. Unfortunately, since the discovery of crude oil in 1956, Nigeria has progressively lost its pride of place as one of the mining destinations in Africa. The contribution of solid minerals to national GDP has plummeted from 4-5% in the first two decades following independence to about 0.46% or N400 billion contributions to GDP.
“The near extinction of our mining sector has resulted to major job losses thus exacerbating Nigeria’s unemployment crisis.
We call on government to fund access roads to mining sites, provide water reservoirs in mining sites and training of artisanal miners and lapidarists to enhance their value to the industry.
“It is also important for government to increase funding on the sourcing of geo-scientific data on mining resources as against the current practice of depending on aerial geo-physical survey. We call for the modernisation and development of solid minerals sector with a view to ensuring domestic value addition, local beneficiation and use in other industries.
“In the context, the Federal Government should discourage export of any solid minerals in their crude forms. In order to add value to our vast mineral resources and move our country from primary to secondary and tertiary levels of production, research and technology is key. While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari for inaugurating the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) in January 2016, we call on Mr. President to go a step further to assent to the NRIC Bill (2019) which had been transmitted to him by the National Assembly.”
Meanwhile the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), the umbrella body of researchers in Federal Research and Development Institutions (RDIs), Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry, Allied Institutions and Centres, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to give quick assent to the National Research Innovation Council (NRIC) Bill 2019 recently passed by the National Assembly.
The Union in a statement by its general Secretary, Dr Theophilus Ndubuaku, said Nigeria unbelievably operates close to zero budgetary allocation to research, stressing that once signed into law, NRIC Bill will increase Nigeria’s research capacity and improve its technological base.
The ASURI general Secretary expressed concern that in most of the over 150 Nigerian Research and Development Institutions (RDIs) and centres, research and training activities are self-funded by researchers because they must acquire higher degrees and produce research publications before they can be promoted at every stage of their careers.
“Consequently, Nigerian career researchers are the poorest cadre of public servants as they must devote over half of their salaries for research if they must advance in their profession. The NRIC Bill 2018 provides for the institutional research and training funding mechanism and infrastructural development for RDIs in Nigeria.
