First of all, before delving into the subject matter which is, providing solutions to the "decline in the local inventions in Nigeria”. It will not be out of order to give a lucid explanation of what a major keyword in the topic, "invention" connotes.

As put by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

“An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition or process. The invention process is a process within an overall engineering and product development process. It may be an improvement upon a machine or product or a new process for creating an object or a result. An invention that achieves a completely unique function or result may be a radical breakthrough. Such works are novel and not obvious to others skilled in the same field.”

Furthermore, Cambridge dictionary defines invention as thus:

“Invention can be said to be something that has never been made before, or the process of creating something that has never been made before.”

Taking a cue from the above definitions of invention, we can infer that invention means creating anew, bringing into existence a novel device that has never occurred in time past. We can also infer that invention means the application of adequate knowledge to problem solving. As an adage says, necessity is the mother of invention; invention flows out of the mind with a longing desire to solve a recurring challenge. A problem that has brought mess and disrepute to a nation can be dealt a parting shot through invention. Readers will agree with me that for so long, there has been a dearth in the number of inventions we have witnessed, if at all, in our nation. Instead all we see are irrelevant media parades of inventions and after the various media parades, nothing is patented in our name and no problem is solved. I can't recall several times I have seen inventions emerging from our secondary schools’ students, universities undergraduates and many other citizens of this great nation. But the big question is: in what manner did government respond to such mind-blowing inventive feat?

Not too long ago, a student from a particular school in Bayelsa state invented an incinerator that can dissipate waste in a matter of seconds, the invention enjoyed good mention in the media and later, no meaningful support from any quarters accorded to such brilliant creativity . This points to the fact that skills and talent are everywhere in our nation, they only need to be nurtured, harnessed and supported.

Frankly, if truth must be told, local inventions ranks high as one of the key yardsticks deployed in measuring and assessing economy growth of any nation. Little wonder why countries like United States of America, China, Germany, and United Kingdom are the most developed nations in the world. They blazed the trail in the area of local inventions as well as sailing to the peak point of wearing the diadem of the “world

powerful” having break the ice with inventing series of life-transforming inventions.

In this regards, readers of this treatise will agree with me that there are myriads of challenges hampering the progress of Nigeria from becoming an inventive nation.

For the purpose of this piece, I would like to share some key challenges that have forced Nigeria to remain a stagnant nation which goes thus:

1. Poor funding: Poor funding is one of the grave headaches of local inventions in Nigeria. The truth is, in the absence of funding, an inventive mind will continue to wallow in the state of an abysmal failure, suffice to say, funding is the heartbeat of any resounding invention. Funding has been the major problem for the decline in local invention in this nation. For instance, the United States Department of Energy granted Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, a whooping sum of US$465 million in interest-bearing loans for the execution of his electric and self-driving car project. And now, the project has been patented. Early this year, the project was launched into the space and it was cross-examined and tested OK. Had funds not been injected in support of such project by the government, the project would have merely remained a pipe dream as it is usually witnessed in our clime. The then Supervising Minister of Science and Technology during the Goodluck Jonathan led administration, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, decried the allocation of less than one per cent of the national budget to the ministry.

2. Lack of exposure to sophisticated and ultra-modern equipment and steady power supply: As an undergraduate schooling in one of the tertiary institutions of this nation, without mincing words, I can categorically say that up to 80 percent of Nigerian educational institutions is broadly fraught with plethora of obsolete and outdated practical apparatus. When such archaic and dysfunctional facilities are being used to train students, the grave consequence could be imagined. Our educational cum technical research centers and institutions lacks facilities that can spur great and high flying inventions. Our facilities are outdated. All we see in our institutions are facilities that can’t help make academic research let alone further inventive project. A lecturer once told me of how he had to make a research tour to a research institute in the United Kingdom so as to complete his research for his Ph.D. thesis. That's so devastating and pathetic! On the other hand, absence of steady power supply has also contributed to the decline in local inventions in totality in Nigeria. When it comes to taking statistics of nations adversely affected by epileptic power supply, undoubtedly, Nigeria will take the lead. Nigeria remains the worst hit of power failure in the world.

3. Absence of invention-oriented institutions: In saner climes, there are special institutions apart from tertiary institutions funded by governments and some are funded by non governmental organizations(NGOs) established for the sole purpose of local invention, but in our clime, they seems to be one we can lay claim to in terms of invention-oriented institutions. Co-invention plays a fundamental role in invention and that is what invention-oriented institutions brings to the table. If there are invention-oriented institutions, like minds would attract and ideas will be marshaled out. Most inventions we are enjoying today are as a result of like minds coming together to engage in a brainstorming discussions on how to make inventions for the betterment of me and you.

4. Absence of sound government policies: Nigeria has continued to be in its present state of retrogressiveness in terms of local invention simply because of bad government policies. All we see are unnecessary power tussles over trivial issues, just like what we witnessed in the National Assembly recently over the stolen mace in the National Assembly.

Quoting Dr. Reuben Abati in one of his essays on public affairs:

“Ideas drive and build nations. A country without a deep and positive current of thought is bound to run into crisis. So it is with Nigeria where the lawmakers only become animated when they want to share money or play partisan politics. Try and compare the lawmakers of Singapore with that of Nigeria, for example. The difference is clear. The message is clear”.

Despite all these obvious challenges, there are talented and diligent Nigerians, who have invented a lot of devices that need public and government assistance or intervention.

After these challenges have been identified, solutions should be given because without outlining solutions to these challenges, we would continue to be in this same state of crying over spilled milk.

Outlined below are the solutions I think if properly implemented can serve as countermeasures against those problems highlighted above:

1. Adequate funding: Like I have outlined above, the major challenge that has contributed to the decline in local inventions in our country is inadequate or lack of funding. There should be a special board domiciled in the Ministry of Science and Technology, this board should be responsible for the disbursement of funds for inventive project that has been found worthy of innovativeness after a rigorous background checks. Also, the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of science and technology should be increased so as to pave way for a better funding of the board which is responsible for the disbursement of funds for inventive projects.

2. Investment in standard and quality equipment and facilities: Government should try and engage in public-private partnership (PPP) with the private sector, especially those in the field of Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) so as to get high-end equipments that aid intellectual capacity and scientific research. It is a truism that the government can’t do everything alone; there is a need for a synergistic embracement from those in the private sector.

3. Establishment of invention-focused institutions: Invention focused institutions should be established as an agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology. If there is an institution created for the sole purpose of invention, like minds would come in contact and share relevant ideas on how to forestall groundbreaking inventions.

4. Sound government policies: The executive arm and the legislative arm of government should work in tandem in making sure pro-invention policies are rolled out. Policies like initiating partnership with major invention foundations like Albert Einstein foundation, Ford foundations and other foundations around the world so as to drastically eradicate the problem of decline in local inventions.

Conclusively, I am very optimistic of better days ahead if government can consciously heed to the above highlighted solution.

God bless Nigeria!

Samson A. works and lives in Lagos. E-mail: samsonadejoro@yahoo.com

Fear Not, It All A Lie

Friends, you are moving into the next chapter of your life. And I would be surprised if on some level, you are not afraid. The unknown can be scary. Fear during a transition is natural, even expected. But don’t let fear factor into your decisions. Move as if you cannot fail. The odds may be stacked against you but you can beat the odds. People beat the odds every day, why not you? Let your dreams be the driver, taking you to places you have only been in your head. People ask me if I consider myself fortunate. Yes. I have been fortunate to be bold. Fortune favors the bold.--- Oluwafemi M.T, Ph.D

Freshmen would be resuming in some couple of days from now. New faces would be on campus. Grins would be on newly admitted students’ faces for obvious reasons.

As we all know, in a country like ours, gaining admission into the university is not a mere feat( whether by long leg or short leg). At last, bye to WAEC, NECO, JAMB, and post-JAMB. Excitements about being offered admissions can't be far from disclosure, as it is conspicuous, even for someone who is blind(pun intended).

But the interesting fact to behold about this fresh folks is -- the rate at which they dissipate grapevines.

Different people with different perspectives about how the university runs its calendar, usually getting their information from unconfirmed sources. Some would tell you the duration and timeframe for studying medicine is 10 years. Some would say the university is the best university, while a freshman like him would retort and say, No, you are not correct. Arguments would sprawl up. Actually, none of them have ever been in the system, but by the virtue of being privileged to listen to a beer parlor rumors sometimes ago, he stores it into his brain and misinform others- those who neither listened to beer parlor rumors nor ever been in the system. At this time, rumors are at best in full disclosure.

Minds ready to study hard, shatter records, attain unimaginable milestones are being spoonfed with sad news about how lecturers in the university would never give A's to students. How a dream of having a first class is a mirage. You hear things like--lecturers would never give you first class, even though you deserve it. They tell you things like--even though you work like an elephant; your reaps would come in a sparingly manner.

I had almost once fell victim to this menace during my freshman years. We had just resumed and we were about doing a course called PHY 101 ( Elementary Physics). Though I am a computer science student, and as such, I am not a student in the department of physics. But, being a science student, I am required to take my O Level courses, and Physics happened to be one of such courses. And so rumours started flying out that no matter how hard you study, grade C is awaiting you. You hear rumours like: "You better stop reading, don't you know there is a long existing beef between your department- Department of Mathematical science and the department of physics. And as such, no matter how hard you prepare, you can't have more than a grade of C".

Shivers went down my spines. So you mean even though I got all the questions correctly, I would still be failed? I asked a friend of mine. Curiously, I asked myself, can this ever be true? Though as a freshman, one who is a Johnny Just Come ( JJC), I have no choice than to believe this hearsay. I believed it when I was told but I never let it affected my study pattern which is to study hard for exams. When the result came out, I had a B in the course. If I had not prepared and depended on hearsay, I would have had nothing less than a grade of F in the course, which is a carry over course and a carry over course is not a thing of joy to have in a 4-unit course.

Freshmen, you would be scared with doomsday stories. Fallacious tales which have no historical facts would be chanted as chorus to your auditory nerves. They are nothing but lies. They are far from being true. Those stories are fallacies concocted in the lab of those who want nothing but academic damnation for you.

And as I conclude this piece, I leave you with another quote from the same author as the one above:

Look, your dreams will always exist side by side with your fears. Both of them are a product of your rich imagination. And you have the power to make one or the other a reality. To have life, to have liberty, to have happiness, you need to feed your dreams and starve your fears. What will prevent you from living the life you want is not lack of money, or lack of time or lack of talent. What will prevent you from living the life you want is a lack of belief in your dreams. You have to believe your dreams to make them real.

#StudentVoices

samosky26:


Let's talk send me a mail via samsonadejoro@gmail.com

Thanks for reading through.

I have sent in a mail.

Regards.

lilchris04:



Kudos my brother! This is impressive. I learnt a lot. I want to talk with you. I'll send a mail right away.

Let's talk send me a mail via samsonadejoro@gmail.com

Thanks for reading through.

[b]NOTE TO UNDERGRADUATES: WHY YOU MUST INVEST IN YOURSELVES NOW

Written by Samson Adejoro

This article is directed to all undergraduates currently studying in any of the Nigerian universities, with an exception to some private universities. You may want to ask me why I made an exception to those private university students.

In recent times I have been an ardent follower of career trends on LinkedIn, and I see how those private universities are making giant strides and quantum leaps in diversifying from the theoretical template lifestyle to challenging the major cause of unemployment among fresh graduates. They are organizing programs to educate their soon-to-be graduates of the prospects and what to face and expect in the labour market.
Those universities are going out of their way in bringing top notch human resources managers and experienced professionals in enlightening and educating their students on the need to up the ante. And I have facts to back up my statement.

As a student currently in my junior year, I have been on the other side of the pack always complaining of my lecturers not teaching me what I need to scale through the hurdles of job interviews. I have wailed enough, apologies to Femi Adesina, but the fact is nothing has changed, and in actual fact nothing will change.

As a Computer Science undergraduate, it’s not an understatement to say, the only things I have been learning in school all this while are pure mathematics, theoretical coding and irrelevant courses just to make up the total number of units I need in order to graduate. I have experienced in my brief sojourn of searching for placement worthwhile and invaluable lessons, and it has broadened my perspective of what is required of me as a graduate. The industries are not even looking for those to train, they are looking for those who will impact their world, they are looking for “fully baked” graduates. Those that can take decisions with their own initiative.

You might ask, how do you know this? Let me make a brief digression to share an experience I had with an HR of a leading integrated payment solution provider in Nigeria. I had an opportunity to get connected to a Software Developer in the company, I told him about my search for a place where I can undergo my internship, and he said I should send in my CV, which I quickly sent to his mail. Three days later, I got a reply from him – the software developer – that the HR said: “I can’t be taken due to my lack of “technical experience” [technical experience in terms of projects that I have done.]”. Then, it dawned on me that, this is now tougher than I thought, the goal post has really shifted in terms of employability factors.

This is just an undergraduate applying for the role of an intern, imagine a graduate applying for a full time job. Just think of the yardstick that will be used to assess me. And so it holds for other courses, not only the computer sciences field, it holds for other fields also. What recruiters are looking for in fresh graduates are far from what we are being taught in school. What we are taught in school is nothing more than how to read and pass a particular course [ Don’t just have a carry over!] and you and the course will never meet again. The university has failed in its responsibility of producing employable graduates. Nowadays, you see graduates that can’t write a well composed cover letter, and you wonder whether they truly passed through the system. They passed through the system but the system didn’t teach them and even they didn’t take it upon themselves to develop themselves.

After much complaining and problem identification, how can this menace be tackled? The only solution I see to this issue is for all undergraduates to start investing in themselves. If we keep complaining about the lecturers, they are fulfilled in their careers already. Your many complaints can’t drag them down from a Ph.D holder to a B.sc holder. As an undergraduate in the Faculty of Management and Administration science, by now, you should be able to craft a winning and a poaching business plan. Things like that are not taught in the universities. The onus lies on you to take the bull by the horn and improve yourself. Learn at your own pace.
As a Law student, try attending moot and mock sessions if you come across one. Also during holidays, try attending court sessions, you will have the opportunity of seeing how civil proceedings go. All these self development techniques will give you a top notch competitive edge your Law lecturers will never teach you.

There is no excuse for not improving yourself. Thanks to the era of digital age which has brought the emergence of MOOC ( Massive Online Open Course). Examples of MOOCs platforms are Udemy, Codeacademy, edX, Coursera freecodecamp.org, W3schools.com, Udacity, khanAcademy.org, newthinktank.com etc. These online open source platforms will teach you all you need to know to develop yourself. If due to paucity of fund you can’t afford huge data to stream videos online, you can download PDFs online to help you out. There are many helpful resources on the World Wide Web to help our lives.

I would also like to also recommend internship as another form of self development technique. Get internship during the course of your undergraduate study. Try to get internship in line with your course. It’s very important because it gives you a competitive edge over your peers. It makes you have work experience before you graduate from school. Also attend workshop sessions on leadership and career development.

Finally, there are no more excuses; the blames are enough to go around, but the buck finally stops on your table. For you to be gainfully employed in this present struggling economy of ours, you need to distinguish yourself by taking giant strides in investing in yourself.

PS: This is not to say coming out with a first class is not good but a first class graduate without a first class thinking is a first class failure. Excellence in the classroom is essential but without necessary self development it will lead to unemployability.[/b][b][/b]

Clementz0:
God Bless U Op U Have Just Upgraded Ma Thinking,,life After Ma National Diploma As Been So Challenging But U Just Re~orientate Moi...Kudos

Yeah bro. You can help share to other folks you know.

NOTE TO UNDERGRADUATES: WHY YOU MUST INVEST IN YOURSELVES NOW

Written by Samson Adejoro

This article is directed to all undergraduates currently studying in any of the Nigerian universities, with an exception to some private universities. You may want to ask me why I made an exception to those private university students.

In recent times I have been an ardent follower of career trends on LinkedIn, and I see how those private universities are making giant strides and quantum leaps in diversifying from the theoretical template lifestyle to challenging the major cause of unemployment among fresh graduates. They are organizing programs to educate their soon-to-be graduates of the prospects and what to face and expect in the labour market.
Those universities are going out of their way in bringing top notch human resources managers and experienced professionals in enlightening and educating their students on the need to up the ante. And I have facts to back up my statement.

As a student currently in my junior year, I have been on the other side of the pack always complaining of my lecturers not teaching me what I need to scale through the hurdles of job interviews. I have wailed enough, apologies to Femi Adesina, but the fact is nothing has changed, and in actual fact nothing will change.

As a Computer Science undergraduate, it’s not an understatement to say, the only things I have been learning in school all this while are pure mathematics, theoretical coding and irrelevant courses just to make up the total number of units I need in order to graduate. I have experienced in my brief sojourn of searching for placement worthwhile and invaluable lessons, and it has broadened my perspective of what is required of me as a graduate. The industries are not even looking for those to train, they are looking for those who will impact their world, they are looking for “fully baked” graduates. Those that can take decisions with their own initiative.

You might ask, how do you know this? Let me make a brief digression to share an experience I had with an HR of a leading integrated payment solution provider in Nigeria. I had an opportunity to get connected to a Software Developer in the company, I told him about my search for a place where I can undergo my internship, and he said I should send in my CV, which I quickly sent to his mail. Three days later, I got a reply from him – the software developer – that the HR said: “I can’t be taken due to my lack of “technical experience” [technical experience in terms of projects that I have done.]”. Then, it dawned on me that, this is now tougher than I thought, the goal post has really shifted in terms of employability factors.

This is just an undergraduate applying for the role of an intern, imagine a graduate applying for a full time job. Just think of the yardstick that will be used to assess me. And so it holds for other courses, not only the computer sciences field, it holds for other fields also. What recruiters are looking for in fresh graduates are far from what we are being taught in school. What we are taught in school is nothing more than how to read and pass a particular course [ Don’t just have a carry over!] and you and the course will never meet again. The university has failed in its responsibility of producing employable graduates. Nowadays, you see graduates that can’t write a well composed cover letter, and you wonder whether they truly passed through the system. They passed through the system but the system didn’t teach them and even they didn’t take it upon themselves to develop themselves.

After much complaining and problem identification, how can this menace be tackled? The only solution I see to this issue is for all undergraduates to start investing in themselves. If we keep complaining about the lecturers, they are fulfilled in their careers already. Your many complaints can’t drag them down from a Ph.D holder to a B.sc holder. As an undergraduate in the Faculty of Management and Administration science, by now, you should be able to craft a winning and a poaching business plan. Things like that are not taught in the universities. The onus lies on you to take the bull by the horn and improve yourself. Learn at your own pace.
As a Law student, try attending moot and mock sessions if you come across one. Also during holidays, try attending court sessions, you will have the opportunity of seeing how civil proceedings go. All these self development techniques will give you a top notch competitive edge your Law lecturers will never teach you.

There is no excuse for not improving yourself. Thanks to the era of digital age which has brought the emergence of MOOC ( Massive Online Open Course). Examples of MOOCs platforms are Udemy, Codeacademy, edX, Coursera freecodecamp.org, W3schools.com, Udacity, khanAcademy.org, newthinktank.com etc. These online open source platforms will teach you all you need to know to develop yourself. If due to paucity of fund you can’t afford huge data to stream videos online, you can download PDFs online to help you out. There are many helpful resources on the World Wide Web to help our lives.

I would also like to also recommend internship as another form of self development technique. Get internship during the course of your undergraduate study. Try to get internship in line with your course. It’s very important because it gives you a competitive edge over your peers. It makes you have work experience before you graduate from school. Also attend workshop sessions on leadership and career development.

Finally, there are no more excuses; the blames are enough to go around, but the buck finally stops on your table. For you to be gainfully employed in this present struggling economy of ours, you need to distinguish yourself by taking giant strides in investing in yourself.

PS: This is not to say coming out with a first class is not good but a first class graduate without a first class thinking is a first class failure. Excellence in the classroom is essential but without necessary self development it will lead to unemployability.

A wise man once observed, “In business there are only two things that matter. These are reality and perception. However, reality only matters to the extent that it influences perception.”

In short, a person’s perception is his or her reality. You may have a product or service that could satisfy the needs of the members of a particular market segment. But they don't know that yet. So, you are left with the challenge of figuring out how to influence their perception.

The first step is to get them to try your offering. And this can be a monumental task. But the following tips may make the process easier.

1. Develop fact-based arguments that explain the value of your product or service.

Use reality to alter perception. For example, our "new cookies" taste the same as what you are currently eating, but they have 50 percent fewer calories and contain no fat. Clearly, the subjective factor here is taste; and taste is a matter of personal opinion.

But a lower caloric content and no fat are facts that will convince at least some people that your product is a healthy alternative and worth trying. So, lay out your argument in terms that are as clear and concise as possible. You are unlikely to be able to hold people’s attention long enough to make a complex argument.

2. Use demonstrations to highlight the value of your offering.

If you need to displace an established incumbent, think about side-by-side comparisons; they can be effective. If the benefits of your product or service can be shown quickly, live or taped demonstrations may be appropriate.

Alternatively, if a demonstration would take too long, but the benefits are visible (e.g., weight loss), before and after photos may be useful. In other situations, conducting tests and presenting the results can change opinions. This can be particularly powerful if an independent third party conducts the tests.

3. Focus on converting a group of early adopters.

When anything new comes along, some people will be more willing to give it a try. You may need to provide significant incentives to induce an actual trial, however. And here, free samples may be appropriate, especially if your product or service is relatively inexpensive, and satisfied customers are likely to purchase it in the future.

4. Target influencers.

If the right people are seen using your product or service, others may be induced to give it a try. For example, manufacturers of athletic equipment frequently furnish free products to high-visibility athletes or teams. Nike will often donate game jerseys to selected football teams as long as the company’s trademark swoosh is visible. The athletes who wear the jerseys are "influencers" and will prompt others to purchase this or another Nike product.

5. Seek testimonials from people whose opinion is respected.

Authors often print endorsements from acknowledged experts in the field on the back cover of their books. The thought is that those testimonials will drive purchases by people who respect the experts' opinion.

In the end, getting your product or service noticed can be a huge challenge. It involves influencing the perceptions of others. However, if you are going to build a successful business selling to people who don’t currently understand the value of your offering, this is exactly what you'll have to do.

These tips can make the difficult task more manageable.