FG moves to establish two new agencies despite fund paucity

Despite complaints of inadequate funding by the existing agencies, the Federal Government on Tuesday began the process to establish two new agencies.

Inaugurating an Inter-ministerial Committee on the establishment of new agencies - National Agency for Desertification & Erosion Research (NADER) and National Agency for Research in Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (NARRAI) – in Abuja, the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said the two agencies would be established if the Federal Executive Council approves the committee’s report which should be turned in by August ending.

“We need to ensure that no aspect of science or technology would be strange to Nigerians so robotics and artificial intelligence is important now in study of our oceans and even infrastructural development

“We need to make sure that these two areas are domesticated. We would train those that are competent in this area and make sure they can utilize the tools to solve our national problems

“The second research institute would be for desertification and erosion research. We have seen that we are losing a lot of our land due to desert encroachment. Many villages have been taken over by Sahara desert in the north-west to north east. Lake Chad is about 10 percent of what it used; it has shrunk completely.  All these have been caused by desertification”, Dr Onu said.

He said there was no way Nigeria could pursue rapid industrialization without doing effective research on robotics and artificial intelligence.

According to the minister, Nigeria mustn’t depend on other country to solve its problems hence the need for the two agencies.

He said some of the economic problems in the country cannot be excluded from the shrinkage of Lake Chad adding that the reduction of water in Lake Chad is creating tremendous problems which must be solved.

He said: ‘’The erosion is widely felt in the West, East and even the South- south and gradually we are losing land to erosion and land is a valuable asset because you cannot do anything towards national development without land.

"These are national problems that science and technology ministry is taking very serious. We would also look at the impact the study would have towards solving the economic problems and promotion of peace and make sure we are able to secure our nation.