Planning and conducting federally funded scientific research in Nigeria
| Published date | 01 April 1986 |
| Author | Glenn E. Schweitzer |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230060206 |
| Date | 01 April 1986 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT,
Vol.
6, 175-186 (1986)
Planning and conducting federally funded scientific
research in Nigeria
GLENN E.
SCHWEITZER
University
of
Nevada
SUMMARY
During the past two decades Nigeria has invested heavily
in
scientific research, by developing
country standards. Yet these investments at best have had only marginal impacts on the
activities
of
the production and service sectors even though there are many priority
development activities which could benefit from inputs from Nigerian researchers.
At
the
national level efforts to direct
or
even co-ordinate the planning and budgeting of research
have been seriously hampered by frequent changes
in
organizational responsibilities and by
repeated budget cuts. Historically, the activities
of
the federal research institutes have been
poorly tuned to the interests and capabilities
of
the potential users of their research products.
Neither these institutes nor the universities with research activities are in a position
to
develop
products
or
processes which can compete with imported technologies that are saturating the
economy. However, the research institutes, and to a lesser extent the universities, should
make greater contributions in applying science to improved use of the nation’s natural
resource endowments, although significant changes
in
research management at the project
level are needed if this objective is to be realized. The Government should provide incentives
to the multinational companies operating
in
Nigeria to develop joint programmes with the
research institutes and universities as one mechanism for diffusing the administrative and
technical capabilities
of
the companies. Meanwhile, selected public sector enterprises should
be encouraged to expand technological innovation efforts which could be directly applied to
their production activities.
THE NIGERIAN COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH
Nigerian scientific research as we know it today had its roots in the efforts
of
the
British to bring research
to
Nigeria several decades ago with the establishment
of
a
number of agricultural research stations around the country and the support
of
scientific programmes
at
educational institutions in Ibadan and elsewhere. During
the early years of Nigerian independence these research efforts were eagerly accepted
by the nation’s leadership as symbols
of
Nigeria’s intention to become
a
modern
society as rapidly as possible. During the
1960s
and
1970s
new research institutes and
universities were established, patterned
to
a
large extent after the earlier British
models with several notable exceptions. Specifically, the
US
concept
of
agricultural
extension as
a
link between research and production became firmly rooted in the
Nigerian approach
to
agricultural development.
Also,
US
approaches to higher
education, and particularly the emphasis
on
problem-solving as an essential
complement
to
the more theoretical educational approaches in science and
Dr.
Schweitzer is Director
of
Science Policy Studies at the Environmental Research Centre, University
of
Nevada,
Las
Vegas, Nevada
89154,
USA
0271-2075/86/020175-12$06.00
0
1986
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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