Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said that the federal government will continue to play its role to achieve the main innovation goals in Nigeria.
Osinbajo made this known in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (i-FAIR) program on Thursday in Abuja.
Osinbajo was represented by Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology.
“For too long we have let our economy depend on oil induced conditions and we have seen that this is not good for our economy.
“Our nation is a great nation, we can do a lot better than what we do, we have abundant natural resources and some of the smartest people in the world.
“This is recognized everywhere, so there is no reason why our economy is not based on knowledge driven innovation,” he said.
The vice president revealed that since the opening of the i-FAIR Center in December 2020 and the admission of its scholarship recipients, the federal government has always supported it.
He noted that many start-ups have been accompanied by investments, urging all Nigerians to support the ongoing innovation dynamic to achieve the goals.
Osinbajo said, “We want all Nigerians to know that if you have a dream, the government will support you.
“To become a reality and such ideas will be turned into a useful product or service to meet our needs as a nation to create more jobs.
“We have the largest population in Africa and the largest market concentration in the world, if China, with a population of around 1.4 billion, can provide jobs for its citizens, we should do it. . “
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the I-FAIR program, which started from December 1, 2020 to April 2021, focused on online training.
Participants developed prototypes and business plans, while learning about intellectual property protection, marketing options, communication and presentation to potential investors, in i-FAIR innovation labs and workshops. .
The culmination of the ceremony was the presentation of the certificate to 21 graduates of the scholarship program.
(NAN)
