The Federal Government has affirmed its readiness to invest more in technology to promote creativity and innovation to produce new products and services.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said this in a lecture at the fourth Nigerian Turkish Nile University Convocation on Friday in Abuja.
According to Onu, such effort will provide a continuous stream of revenue to help build more roads, bridges, railways, dams and look after the needs of the nation’s security and intelligence community.
He urged Nigerians to continue be hopeful“ for the future of our country is bright’’.
The minister explained that the price of crude oil that slumped had exposed the nation’s vulnerability as a mono product economy as no sufficient attention was paid to science and technology.
Onu commended the University for its efforts to produce the graduating set toward the development of Nigeria, Africa and the world.
“ Your aim to be a center of excellence in science, technology and culture to produce graduates that are self-reliant, tolerant, creative, confident and enterprising to solve problems of Nigeria, Africa and the world, is laudable.
“We thank you for working so hard to ensure that in the future, education is made available for every student, regardless of gender, financial status, ethnicity, religion and nationality.
In his contribution, Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), said the commission would intensify efforts toward orderly development of a well-co-ordinated and productive university system in the country.
Okojie urged the government to improve accommodation in all government universities to enhance students’ performance.