Reps threaten sanctions against science minister over hearing absence

The House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology has threatened to escalate the failure of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, to attend a public hearing on a bill seeking to establish a National Research and Innovation Development Fund.

The committee warned that the minister’s absence could delay the passage of the proposed legislation and undermine efforts by President Bola Tinubu to attract international research grants to Nigeria.

The committee also expressed displeasure over the ministry’s failure to send the Permanent Secretary or any representative to the hearing on the bill, HB 2821.

Speaking on behalf of the committee, lawmaker Ahmed Usman Jaha, who represents Chibok, Damboa and Gwoza Federal Constituency of Borno State, described the ministry’s absence as sabotage of the cordial relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government.

Jaha said it was unacceptable for a ministry directly responsible for an executive-sponsored bill of national importance to ignore the legislative process.

“Unfortunately, some members of the executive are by extension sabotaging this relationship. The reason why I call it sabotage is that I see no reason whereby the executive can present a bill to the House for consideration, and that bill has national importance, but the ministry responsible for it will not show up,” he said.

He disclosed that the committee had invited the Ministers of Justice, Innovation, Science and Technology, Education, Environment, Agriculture and Food Security, Health, Livestock Development, and Industry, Trade and Investment, among other stakeholders.

However, none of the invited ministers attended the hearing.

Jaha said the committee was particularly concerned about Udeh’s absence, insisting that either the minister or the Permanent Secretary should have appeared to contribute to the deliberations.

He noted that an international stakeholder who travelled from Kenya honoured the invitation, while the ministry responsible for the proposed fund failed to participate.

The lawmaker cited the African Technology Policy Studies Network, whose representative reportedly informed the committee that several African countries had established national research and innovation funds, while Nigeria was yet to develop a similar framework.

Jaha said the committee had given the minister and the Permanent Secretary another opportunity to appear before the conclusion of the public hearing.

He warned that failure to attend would compel the committee to raise a motion of urgent public importance at the next sitting of the House.

“With this attitude, they will end up delaying the bill. Maybe Mr President is trying to expedite the process of establishing this agency so that Nigeria can benefit from research grants from donor agencies, the diaspora, international communities, UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations willing to fund research,” he said.

He added that the hearing would have provided the minister an opportunity to raise objections, identify problematic provisions or propose amendments to the bill.

Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Zakariya Tijjani Zannah, said Nigeria needed a sustainable funding mechanism to support research, coordinate scientific activities and translate discoveries into commercially viable products.

Zannah said the country had the intellectual capacity and research talent to drive innovation but lacked a dependable legal and institutional framework to finance the sector.

“No nation has grown its economy or secured its food and health without sustained investment in research and innovation. Nigeria has the talent; what we lack is a dependable legal and institutional framework to fund, coordinate and carry research from the laboratory to the marketplace,” he said.

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He urged stakeholders to scrutinise the proposed governance structure, funding arrangements and grant allocation process to ensure transparency and accountability.

The committee chairman specifically called for an examination of the proposed 20 per cent contribution from the Nigerian Content Development Fund under Section 19 of the bill, alongside other revenue sources, including government appropriations, grants and proceeds from commercialisation.

He also urged stakeholders to review the proposed 2.5 per cent cap on administrative expenditure under Section 21, as well as provisions on competitive grant allocation and intellectual property rights.

Declaring the hearing open, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Deputy House Leader Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims, described the proposed legislation as critical to Nigeria’s economic development and competitiveness.

Abbas said Nigeria had considerable intellectual and creative capacity in its universities, research institutions, professional communities and diaspora but had failed to effectively connect these resources to the productive needs of the economy.

He lamented that research often ended with academic publications, while promising innovations struggled to attract funding and commercially viable discoveries remained trapped in laboratories.

“The challenge, therefore, is not simply to produce more research, but to build an ecosystem that connects research to funding, innovation to investment, and discoveries to industry.

“This is the institutional gap that the Bill seeks to address,” he said.

The Speaker said the proposed National Research and Innovation Development Fund and the National Council on Research and Innovation, to be chaired by the Vice President, would provide a framework for coordinating research priorities, ensuring sustainable financing and promoting the commercialisation of research outcomes.

He, however, warned against political interference in the administration of the fund, insisting that research grants must be awarded based on merit, scientific relevance and demonstrable potential.

Abbas also called for an inclusive funding framework that would provide polytechnics, specialised research institutes, emerging technology enterprises and independent innovators with opportunities alongside established universities and major research centres.

He said the proposed legislation offered the 10th House an opportunity to address previous setbacks in establishing a national research and innovation framework.

The Speaker urged stakeholders to make specific recommendations on governance, funding, grant administration, intellectual property, commercialisation and accountability.

He said Nigeria must move beyond dependence on imported solutions and create an environment where local ideas attract investment, discoveries find practical applications and innovation generates industries and employment.