Technological Advancement In Nigeria -By Marie Obiora

A few months ago I read about a tertiary institution here in Nigeria that produced a solar powered electricity generator. I was elated and have been looking out for these generators in shops, to no avail. The fact that someone was able to come up with such a brilliant idea is proof that Nigeria has got talent that produces innovative technology. It is also a fact that many inventions started from projects carried out by students in tertiary institutions. Research and development is taken very seriously in advanced countries and both governments and individuals invest heavily in them.

Electricity is the building block of technology. Any country that wants to be technologically advanced must first of all have a steady supply of electricity. It would be encouraging for electrical engineering students in our tertiary institutions to invent functioning solar panels. They can always call upon wealthy individuals and or companies in their locality to assist them financially in carrying out their project. Sometimes inventions such as this might call for coordinated effort between students in different higher institutions. The production of locally made solar panels could then lead to the setting up of a giant solar panel electricity generating station such as that which exists in China.

Research and development lead to the different design of motor vehicles that we see today. The different brands of cars all appear to have similar designs and shapes, this also applies to cellphones. One has to ask what make of phone another is holding to know. All these designs and innovation are from the effort of people many of whom were students at the time they invented them and later graduated to set up companies to carry out their work. It is also important to know that those who invent things are often paid heavily by companies who want to use them; cell phone companies pay for the design of phones and if they want to keep an exclusive deign, then they will pay heavily for the franchise.

I strongly believe that Nigerians are capable of such innovation; we only need to be encouraged. Research and development particularly in tertiary institutions should be encouraged. It is always better to start simple and then advance into a complex mode. A class of mechanical engineers should be tasked with manufacturing a bicycle from scratch with locally sourced materials. This bicycle should be ridden all over campus to prove that it functions perfectly and subsequently a wealthy individual can hire or sponsor the class of engineers to manufacture and sell these bicycles. The fact that they are locally produced will hopefully reduce the importation of bicycles.

After a class of engineers have successfully produced a bicycle another class of mechanical and electrical engineers should be encouraged to build a motorcycle. They can rely on the basic two wheel technology of the bicycle and attempt to add parts that will turn it into a motorcycle. Any individual or company that sponsors this project can have the final product named after them. When the motorcycle is completed and functioning, being ridden around the campus, another class or students from another higher institution can embark on redesigning the motorcycle to a tricycle locally called ‘keke’. Then subsequent classes can try designing a small motor vehicle.

Another way of going around innovative technology is for various engineering departments or schools of science and technology to study existing solar panels, bicycles, motorcycles and tricycles. They should dismember these, noting the functions of each part, then source locally produced parts to replace them. They might consider using scraps from similar products that are no longer in use. The end result should be that Nigeria has a bunch of productive engineers who have graduated from tertiary institutions and are forming companies that manufacture locally produced means of transportation. It is of the essence that these means of transportation can function as expected but most importantly they can be maintained by the team that built them without recourse to importation of spare parts.

Innovative technology should not be restricted to means of transportation alone, televisions, radios, pressing iron, blenders, ceiling fans, standing fans etc. should also be worked on by our brilliant young electrical engineers in the making. It is possible that a group of them might come up with locally made versions of any or all of these products. The fact that all these products exist indicates that manuals instructing how they are manufactured also exist. Our local engineers will do well to document their innovation and employ younger engineering graduates to carry on the good work. Documentation is very important because Africa and Nigeria in particular have lost a lot of technology from ancient times to non-documentation. Our ancestors had some brilliant herbalists who could cure various ailments with leaves but many died with the knowledge. The same can be said about orthopedic herbalists who also had excellent ways of resetting broken bones, a lot of these essential facts have been lost because of non-documentation; we don’t want to repeat the same mistake again.

Technology in Nigeria doesn’t necessarily have to be imported, it can be produced locally by our brilliant young minds but we need to do the right things, put things in order, help and encourage them and perhaps one day Nigeria will export technology to the world.