Mr Collins Agu, an IT expert, has enumerated reasons Nigerian technologists perform excellently abroad, and urged the Federal Government to address the trend by improving the country’s industrial base.
Agu, who is the Founder, Technology Development for Poverty Aleviation Initiative, an NGO made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said it was disheartening that the country lacked industrial base that could spur local technologists that would exhibit their potential.
“The first thing is that in Nigeria, we don’t have industrial base. Our industrial base is zero.
“The process should be from the academia, which is more theoretical, then you come to the industry, which is practical and you learn more by so doing. So that is the first setback we have in Nigeria.
“Then number two is mentorship. We don’t have a lot of industry experts to mentor us in Nigeria because there are no industries.
“But over there, you see people that are already in industries, they come and give lectures, tell you about their latest works,” he said.
Agu said that most of the technology tools in the country were obsolete and scored Nigeria low in energy infrastructure.
“The third one is that we don’t have tools here; the basic tools, we don’t have them, software, hardware, etc. And if they are available, they are already outdated.
“Also, we don’t have energy infrastructure. There is no energy to drive all these things. We don’t have constant power sometimes, we may have two, three days power off. So these are the major challenges,” he said.
Agu, who holds PhD in Space Science, said there must be leadership reorientation if the problems would be resolved.
He said Nigerian leaders must be ready to promote innovation hubs where innovators were encouraged in the art of inventing.
“This is so because innovation hub is more like an IT engine room where there are lots of practical activities going on.
“Also, relevant government agencies like National Information Technology Development Agency must from time to time organise capacity building programme to create awareness so that indigenous technologists are kept abreast of some of these emerging technologies,” he said.