Professor of Virology and member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 vaccine composition, Oyewale Tomori, has said Nigeria became a beggar over the pandemic’s vaccines because it failed to consistently invest in education, science and technology.
He regretted that the 23 years of democracy were spent under huge corruption and immorality.
Tomori spoke yesterday on the topic: Science, Scientist and Society, at the 79th Interdisciplinary Research Discourse of the Postgraduate College of the University of Ibadan (UI) organised by the Provost, Professor Jonathan Babalola.
He said: “While other countries are getting sumptuous results on their investments, we are wallowing in our own returns on iniquity and on return on immorality. That is why we have 10.5 million of our children out of school and 4.5 million under vaccinated. We have become the poverty capital of the world.
“We are investing hugely on corruption and have a disdain for science and technology. And we now depend of International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans and World Bank to pay our workers’ salaries, to import food which we should be producing.”
Likening science to the engine room for human posterity, the eminent scholar urged the Federal Government to consistently invest in long-term research in science and technology.
“What do we expect from our government? Consistent and long-term support, adequate funding and private sector investment and patience are the things that create enabling environment for science to thrive.
“Many governments in Africa want rapid results; we want immediate results. We don’t invest in it consistently, but now that the U.S and the United Kingdom (UK) are benefitting from long-term investment, we have become beggars for vaccines and for other things because we will not invest as they are doing.
“The money given to our science and technology goes to salary and emoluments in Nigeria. The money put into education and science is what makes the difference in the countries that are doing well.
“The 2022 budget for science and technology is N202 billion but almost all of it is on capital project. Allocation for research is specifically N6 billion. When you look at the details of what they put out for research, it includes workshops, training, renovation of staff quarters, building of new hostels, among others.
“That is what we call research in Nigeria. In the section they call miscellaneous are refreshments, honorarium, sitting allowance and what we call welfare package, and they put about N514 million for that.
“Now, we have had 23 years of born-again democracy in Nigeria and Nigeria still remains the slumbering giant where fraud and crime stand in the brotherhood of decadence, depravity, excessive wastefulness, extravagance, licentiousness,” he said.
UI Vice Chancellor Prof. Kayode Odebowale said a society helps to determine which research should be encouraged or discouraged and how its resources are deployed to fund scientific researches.