Shettima Inaugurates Inter-Ministerial Committee on Research, Innovation

•Says target is to build Nigeria into innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within 10 years

•Aasks committee to ensure food security, energy security to power economy as well as break nation’s dependence on imports

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday inaugurated the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Research and Innovation, with a charge to its members to ensure food security in Nigeria, energy security to power the economy, and break the nation’s dependence on imports.

Shettima said the committee was part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to pool intellectual and financial capital to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted”.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Research and Innovation at State House, Abuja, Shettima pointed out that the mission was to build Nigeria into a trillion-dollar economy within 10 years.

He declared, “We are here to breathe life not into this committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade.

“The future we desire is not something we inherit. It is something we build.”

The vice president observed that innovation was the currency of every civilisation.

He said while no society grew by staying the same, Nigeria could not hope to evolve for the better unless it invested in learning new things, compared what it had with what others nations had, and comparing where it was now with where it wanted to be.

Shettima stated, “None of this is possible without research—the mother of all the inventions that have guided humanity through the waves of the Industrial Revolutions.

“This gathering, therefore, is a declaration of our collective resolve to till the soil, explore the seas, and scout the space of knowledge to understand the consequences of our choices. I am truly inspired by the promise of what we are setting out to achieve here.”

Shettima said the committee was to coordinate action in five strategic sectors with the power to transform society.

He listed the sectors to include, “Agriculture and Climate Resilience, where research innovation must feed our people and protect our planet; Manufacturing Excellence, where we break our dependency on imports and build proudly Nigerian supply chains; Healthcare Innovation, where we shift from importing medicines to exporting medical breakthroughs; Natural Resource Optimisation, where we stop selling raw materials and start exporting ingenuity; and Energy Security, where we power our economy and secure our future.”

The vice president explained that a major target for setting up the committee was to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 per cent, maintaining, “In each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics.

“We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives.

“What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50 per cent? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes.”

Shettima disclosed that the committee was a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Bola Tinubu, saying the high-level plenary, which will be held annually, will be presided by the president himself.

According to the vice president, “This committee is only the beginning. President Bola Tinubu, has approved a Presidential Plenary on Innovation—an annual high-level forum that will bring together academia, research institutes, industry, civil society, and the Nigerian people to align our national innovation priorities.

“This plenary will be addressed by Mr President himself, because innovation is a presidential area of priority. It is central to his vision for a new Nigeria.”

Earlier, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, commended the leadership provided by the vice president and the commitment of the relevant ministries, departments and agencies.

Nnaji stated that collaboration was critical in the renewed vigour to prioritise research and innovation.

He said the inter-ministerial committee would help the country save scarce resources and move faster in the right direction, by harmonising efforts, human and material resources for the purpose of enhancing research and innovation across critical sectors of the economy.

The minister said, “The keyword here is collaboration. We have been spending a lot of money on our various ministries, duplicating our functions. I believe that with this collaboration and this committee here, we will save a lot of money for the government and reduce duplication.”