Lamentation by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Kingsley Ude, on the poor utilisation of research findings from tertiary institutions appears to be a case of self-indictment by the authorities. Truly speaking, the research findings of higher institutions in Nigeria have remained on laboratory shelves, in technical reports, or in academic journals over the years. That has seemingly been the “final bus stop” for most research findings from the country’s universities and polytechnics. This is a situation that needs to be addressed.

The government’s observation of the sorry state of the dissemination of the universities’ research findings suggests that the government itself is not responsible for the situation. The question to ask then is who is supposed to move these research findings to the next stage to facilitate their applicability to the enhancement of the human condition through their commercialisation and application in solving practical human challenges? That is what the government should be focusing on, not seemingly passing the buck and hence engaging in unnecessary lamentation that adds no value to the resolution of the evident problem.

At the strategic meeting on the commercialisation of scientific research outcomes, which Ude had with commissioners of science, technology and innovation from across the country, he had indicated that Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa that has invested to an appreciable extent in research and development across the universities, polytechnics and research institutes, with the economic returns on these investments remaining below expectations. He went further to state that economic power is increasingly defined not by natural resources alone, but by the ability to convert knowledge into value, and those countries that have mastered research commercialisation have built strong industrial bases, competitive technology sectors and resilient economies.

According to the Minister, globally, Nigerian scientists and innovators are producing solutions in agriculture, renewable energy, biotechnology, digital technology, health sciences, manufacturing and climate resilience. His main grouse is that a significant number of these research are yet to be commercialised, resulting in unemployment, weak industrialisation and low contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The gathering had indicated that the country cannot afford to remain a nation where research findings gather dust on shelves; and that deliberate efforts are needed to build systems that support patenting, prototyping, incubation, venture financing, regulatory facilitation and market access. The key takeaway was that commercialisation must become an integral part of the country’s research culture.

While agreeing fundamentally with the issues raised by the Minister and the meeting at large, it must be stated that the Nigerian operating environment is part of the issues that need to be put in perspective, as this quest for commercialisation of research findings is at the forefront of government policy formulation in this regard. As clearly stated, many of the research findings and breakthroughs in many Western societies in Europe and the Americas are engineered and propelled by Nigerians operating in those societies. These are scholars who left Nigeria after struggling to cope with perennial problems of poor infrastructure, little or no energy supply and insecurity while in Nigeria. But boom, when they leave Nigeria, to societies where things work better, they turn into stars and produce research findings that attract the industrial sector in those countries, leading to the reported breakthroughs generally attributed to those foreign countries. Environment matters significantly in the production and commercialisation of research findings. That is something the government needs to address to enhance the output of research findings in the country. Needless to emphasise, the government must empower Nigerians with a regular supply of electricity power, a secure environment, strong institutions, identifying and rewarding talents, meritocracy and encouraging initiatives, among other measures.

The other issue is the quality of the few research findings in the country. That is very critical and also depends on the state of the economy in the country. Many scholars in Nigeria are busy struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families in relation to basic needs, such that not a little focus is placed on the pursuit of excellence in research. Even though there are exceptions to this rule, most of the studies are conducted just to publish academic papers to enhance career progression and their economic status through increased wages and promotion. Even when research grants are procured by many scholars, the focus is largely on how much money can be squeezed out of the grants through shrewd management of the research budget and controlled research expenditures, with the primary purpose of making as much income as possible from the grants. Hence, by and large, the quality of the research output would be compromised, and of course, may not be attractive to the commercial or industrial sector. The key is the operating environment, which is not conducive to producing quality research findings. After all, is it not the same Nigerians who produce excellent research output in the West who, whilst at home, had struggled before their relocation to other environments?

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, should know where the problem lies. Many scholars are struggling to eke out a living for their families due to the harsh environment in which they are operating. The government is indeed trying through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to support and fund research in tertiary institutions in the country, but a lot more needs to be done to enhance the quality of research in the country and thus enhance its economic value and commercialisation. The government should enhance the living standards of university scholars by sustaining the new remuneration package already negotiated with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). This will help greatly. Otherwise, the perennial brain drain currently prevalent among university and polytechnic teachers and researchers will continue unabated.