I always longed the opportunity to find out first hand what makes the 'developed' nations really excel; to find out what makes their system work. Though i have always been always very passionate about science and research, coming to study here in Canada has given me another perspective to its to the development of any nation. I have come to a conclusion from my little experience here that Science and Technology is the very fundamental building block of any nation. Countries like the US and Canada spend billions of dollars in scholarship bringing in the best brains from all around the world to research. Trust me, they really aren't Samaritans but they just happen to understand the relevance of research and it's significance in sustaining their nations as world powers. Yet, taking a look the meagre amounts set aside by our past and present governments for science and technology development makes me wonder if we are headed anywhere as a people. Take a moment to think about the fundamental problems facing Africa today from corruption, insurgency, power, health care among the rest. Putting the necesary systems in place through investing in research and technology can help tackle these problems much easier. Africa has relied so much on technology transfer from the western nations, but what is really appalling is that we still do very little even to develop from what should seem 'stepping stones' for us. I believe we are not tackling our problems from the root which is investing more in science. Our governments still lack resources as basic as a reliable database of all citizens and foreigners. Without this how can we plan as a country? How can we check crimes? How can we implement social programs like those proposed by the APC? What algorithm do we use to allocate resources effectively? It is only when we tackle this fundamental problem that we can make progress as a nation and continent.

If there is any other thing i've learnt during my short stay here, it is that the whites are never satisfied with the status quo. This attitude is the primary reason why they dared to explore and conquer the outer space. They believe there's always room for improvement no matter how little it is. I've come across really simple technology here that made me ask myself how I never thought of them considering how 'common sense' they seem. We Africans, in contrast, are pushed to awaken our creativity when our existence is threatened (and history proves this) and after coming up with a solution, whether temporary or permanent, we hang our boots and life goes on. Don't get me wrong! Intelligence or creativity is not our problem as God has endowed us with outstanding brains, but we just love to maintain our comfort zone as long as it doesn't threaten our lives. I'll cite the last war time speech of the late Biafran leader C. Ojukwu as an instance: "In the three years of the war necessity gave birth to invention. During those three years of heroic bound, we leapt across the great chasm that separates knowledge from know-how. We built rocket, and we designed and built our own delivery systems. We guided our rockets. We guided them far; we guided them accurately. For three years, blockaded without hope of import, we maintained all our vehicles. The state extracted and refined petrol, individuals refined petrol in their back gardens. We built and maintained our airports, maintained them under heavy bombardment. Despite the heavy bombardment, we recovered so quickly after each raid that we were able to maintain the record for the busiest airport in the continent of Africa. We spoke to the world through telecommunication system engineered by local ingenuity; the world heard us and spoke back to us! We built armored cars and tanks. We modified aircraft from trainer to fighters, from passenger aircraft to bombers. In the three years of freedom we had broken the technological barrier. In the three years we became the most civilized, the most technologically advanced black people on earth." Imagine the incredible innovations of they came up with when their existence was threatened, but it begs for the question of what happened to these great inventors before and after the war? I was not born then, but reading these words made me realize what we as a people can potentially achieve when we set our minds to it, but unfortunately most times we to channel this creativity at the wrong time or for the wrong things.

This is a wake up call to all Nigerians, Africans, the government, myself inclusive, to take science and technology much more seriously. Let it always be our desire to find better ways of doing things, no matter how small it may seem. The little technological advancements put together will sum up to become a bigger one someday. If we must advance, there are no short-cuts. We must begin from the basics and build ourselves up. No amount of assistance from the western nations can save us or take us where we ought to be. I may not be the best of writers, but i hope i passed the fundamental message across in my own simple words. We must challenge our minds if indeed we seek for true change as a famous quote goes "He who cannot change his mind cannot change anything."