NOTAP Boss urges Nigerians to invest in research, development for growth

Director-general of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) Dr. Danazumi Ibrahim, has said that the only panacea for Nigeria to become technologically independent is to invest hugely on research and development.

The Director-General was speaking when he received the DG and officials of the Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB) who were on a courtesy visit to NOTAP headquarters in Abuja.

Dr Ibrahim stressed that if research and development is not given the priority attention it deserves, then the future of Nigeria becoming independent in terms of sustainability would be weak.

The NOTAP Chief said that the option is to spend hugely on research and development so that we gain our independence and be able also to produce and sell our products to the outside world.

He revealed that over 90 per cent of the technologies that powers the Nigerian economy is imported and therefore the nation must be strategic in her approach to tackling this anomaly.

‘‘If research and development is affected then the future of Nigeria becoming independent in terms of sustainability would be weak. I must say we have no option but to spend hugely on research and development so that we gain our independence and be able also to produce and sell our products to the outside world.

‘‘The nation has a very weak intellectual property culture evident in our universities and research institutes and in order to change that, NOTAP in 2006 started partnering with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to establish Intellectual Property Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in Universities to sensitize researchers on the culture of intellectual property and encourage them to file applications for patents before publishing in order to protect their inventions and innovations.

‘‘The office has so far established 45 IPTTOs across the country some of which are in military establishments like Airforce Institute of Technology (AFIT) Zaria, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna and Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Kaduna in order to harness research and development results that will lead to commercialization.’’

The DG NOTAP said that as a result of these efforts in promoting patenting, 65 per cent of the patents that came out in 2019 were through the office, adding that the office has saved over N79.3 billion naira between the years 2015 to 2019 that would have left the shores of the nation as capital flight through its strict regulatory role.

He applauded DRDB for its research and development efforts, describing as strategic the wisdom of the military in having a single umbrella for its research and development activities and promised that NOTAP will partner with the bureau for the overall development of the nation.

Earlier, Air Vice Marshall (AVM) Onyemaechi Osahor, director-general of the Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB) said the bureau is charged with the responsibility of co-coordinating all the activities of defence-related laboratories, initiating, conducting and coordinating research and development activities in defence and security-related areas.

Osahor, said the bureau is in NOTAP as part of its efforts to partner with relevant organizations to ensure the fulfilment of its mandate of having a most modern military and described NOTAP as a strategic organization in technology acquisition and promotion.

He explained that the bureau is seeking partnership with NOTAP in the area of patenting and Intellectual property rights have come up with many research and development efforts.

AVM Isahor disclosed that the military has inventions and innovations like the compo ration, IED detector with a detection range of over 50 metres and design and development of the airboat amongst many others adding that Nigeria has the capacity, the people and the intellectuals in research and development.

It was gathered that the partnership between NOTAP and DRDB will lead to greater awareness on intellectual property rights issues within the military research and development circle thereby leading to the production of patents for the enhanced security of the nation.