Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Thursday, inaugurated the Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation to ensure food and energy security to power the economy and break the nation’s dependence on imports.
Shettima, while inaugurating the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, pointed out that the mission is to build Nigeria into a trillion-dollar economy within 10 years.
The vice president explained that a major target for setting up the committee was to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 percent.
He added that the committee was part of ongoing efforts by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to pool intellectual and financial capital, to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted.
“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 stated that innovation was the currency of every civilisation, adding that no society grows by staying the same.
According to him, Nigeria cannot hope to evolve for the better unless it invests in learning new things, compares what it has with what other nations have and compares where it is now with where it wants to be.
“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,” he stated.
On the committee’s terms of reference, Shettima said the committee was to coordinate action in five strategic sectors with the power to transform the society.
He listed the committee’s term of reference to include Agriculture and Climate Resilience, where research innovation must feed the people and protect the 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.”
He maintained that “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 percent? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production?
“Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” he added.
Shettima disclosed that the committee is a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Tinubu.
He said that the high-level plenary, which will be held annually, will be presided over by the President.
“This committee is only the beginning. His Excellency, President Tinubu, has approved a Presidential Plenary on Innovation.
“It is 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.
He noted that collaboration was critical in the renewed vigour to prioritise research and innovation.
The minister 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.
This, according to him, will enhance research and innovation across critical sectors of the economy.
“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,” the Minister said.
