The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has pledged to partner with the Nigerian Academy of Science on research and development.
A statement issued on Thursday disclosed that the board pledged at the official inauguration of the NAS-TY Danjuma Science Museum and Library Building at the NAS headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, noted that the board would work closely with the Nigerian Academy of Science.
He mentioned that promoting research and development is one of the key thrusts of the NOGICD Act and the Board is actively pursuing it.
The executive secretary was represented at the event by the General Manager of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Esueme Kikile, and reiterated that the board is championing the construction of the Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre in collaboration with Shell Petroleum Company, the Bayelsa State Government, and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund after five decades of oil production to have a dedicated oil research centre in Nigeria.
“The museum would not only focus on the building itself but would also serve as a centre for research. After over five decades of oil production in our country, we must have a place dedicated to oil and gas research” Ogbe stated.
Kikile said that the Board understands the importance of R&D to national development and has dedicated a $50m fund for Research and Development.
He charged that research should be taken seriously as a critical tool for national development.
In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof Ekanem Braide stated that the museum would serve as a valuable resource for inspiring and strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
He emphasised that the fellows of NAS believe that for sustainable national development to be achieved, research must inform policy, and policy must be translated into practice. This, he said, requires healthy collaboration between researchers, the government, industry, and communities, as well as intersectoral collaboration.
