Self-Reliant In
Scientific Equipment
I. O. Akinwumi *
igerian students are not receiving a proper science foundation because the country has failed to provide adequate science and technology materials. Like other African countries, Nigeria has declared in all development plans its dedication to provide a "strong, united, and self-reliant nation." If Nigeria is to be self-reliant, her citizens must look inwards and harness the natural resources of the nation for the benefit of all.
A self-reliant policy for acquiring science and technology equipment can be implemented to reverse the present practice of massive importation of these items. In order to understand how this situation developed, it is useful to review the equipment acquisition strategies that have been used by educational and research institutions in pre-independence and post-independence eras. This understanding helps lead to the formulation of a self-reliant science and technology equipment acquisition policy.
Pre-Independence Experience
Prior to Nigeria's independence, science and technology activities were conducted mainly by foreigners. Mathematics and the sciences were taught primarily by expatriates. Engineers, doctors, and other high-level professionals were predominantly expatriate. The equipment in use at that time was usually imported. Laboratory facilities usually lasted longer since pressure on them was not as high. Nigeria's colonial status facilitated the replacement of broken-down equipment. After all, Nigeria was part of the flourishing British Empire, and could easily afford to place orders for new equipment.
Post-Independence Experience
In 1976, the Nigerian government introduced universal primary education, and most of the students with primary education are now being absorbed into secondary schools.1 As a result there has been an enormous increase in the enrollment population in educational institutions. The National Policy on Education, established in 1981, lays strong emphasis on science and technology, with both state and federal governments encouraging citizens to pursue science-related activities.2
During the oil-rich years of the 1970s, the Nigerian economy was characterized as "disarticulate," meaning that Nigeria produced what it did not consume and consumed what it did not produce. Also, ambitious development plans were proposed without considering the amount of money involved in their implementation. Science-related equipment needed for teaching and research was still being imported, and little thought was given to local production of such items. Parts were ordered from overseas, and experts to maintain equipment were usually flown in at high cost to the nation.
In the 1980s, Nigeria was adversely affected by the drop in oil prices, and the nation's foreign exchange earnings plummeted from US$12 billion in 1985 to only US$5 billion the following year.3 The effect of this sharp revenue decline was that the supply of imported scientific equipment fell sharply. Scientists discovered that less money was being allocated to their work and they would have to improvise parts for the scientific equipment that may have broken down.4 Considering the difficulties of purchasing simple scientific equipment and the financial constraints affecting most educational and research institutions throughout the country, the solution at the time lay in Nigeria's ability to improvise much of this equipment using locally available materials.5
Dr. O. Oyewole, a Nigerian researcher, wrote a textbook in 1980 describing in detail how to make models of a few standard and usually costly scientific pieces.6 The objective was to involve students in the construction of the models and provide the hands-on training that is essential for a complete foundation in science. Some of the models suggested were:
• A hydrometer made from a drinking straw and a piece of graph paper.
• A pulley system made from wooden cotton reels suspended with strong wires.
• A periscope made from cardboard and mirrors.
Although improvisation is desirable and has helped to improve the availability of science equipment, it is inadequate if the country is aiming at production self-sufficiency. If science teachers and researchers spend too much time preparing equipment, then the real cost of providing the equipment may be unnecessarily high, especially considering the fact that science teachers are scarce and consequently often have heavy teaching loads.7 The time has come to move beyond crude improvisation and begin the search for a systematic method of dealing with the problem of providing science and technology equipment for our educational and research institutions.
A Self-Reliant Equipment Policy
A strategy for producing vital science related equipment for Nigeria's educational and research institutions needs to be encouraged by the Federal Government and implemented through policy.
The policy goal should be national self-sufficiency in the manufacture of science and technology equipment. The instruments that must be set up for the success of this policy are the following:
(a) The establishment of Science Resource Centers in each of the country's states, where researchers design equipment that could be used to carry out specific scientific activities.
(b) The creation of a Science Equipment Factory in each state to service the Science Resource Centers. The factories would produce equipment designed by researchers in the proposed Science Resource Centers.
(c) Specialized training would be provided for both technical and administrative staff of the Science Resource Centers and the Science Equipment Factories based on the objectives of the policy.
(d) Protection through regulation would be sought from the government to encourage the use of locally produced science equipment. The equipment should enjoy protection, but must be affordable, functional, and acceptable to users.
These proposals will require that the government provide adequate funding to ensure the success of the policy. These innovative measures should be disseminated to educational and research institutions as well as other relevant governmental agencies through workshops, seminars, and publications.
An examination of science and technology projects outside Africa, such as the Nuffield Project or the US Space Program, shows that the materials and machinery required to successfully implement these projects are usually manufactured by industries located in the countries where the projects originated. In the same way if Nigerian Science Resource Centers are backed up with Science Equipment Factories, scientific activities in both teaching and research will enjoy a boost and scientific, technological, and industrial development will be accelerated.
Conclusion
The policy being advocated here is one that can make Nigeria self-sufficient in the production of scientific equipment using local raw materials, tools, and machinery as opposed to the usual practice of depending on imported tools and machinery. A country which has to rely on imported tools and machinery will only increase its dependency status and prolong its search for indigenous technology and self-reliance. To be successful, the implementation of this self-reliance policy will require the dedication, effort, and commitment of Nigerians and their government.
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* Dr. I. O. Akinwumi is a Research Fellow at the Technology Planning and Development Unit, Faculty of Technology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
References
1 Yoloye, E. A. "Contemporary Issues in Implementing The New National Policy On Education," Journal of Nigerian Education Research Association, Vol. 4, 1984, pp. 10-21.
2 Federal Ministry of Education, "The National Policy on Education." Lagos, NERC Press, 1981.
3 National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, "National Policy on Science and Engineering Infrastructure." Lagos, 1992, p. 17.
4 Shuaibu, M. J. et al. "The Design of Creative Laboratory Activities in the Sciences," Journal of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, Vol. 19, No. 3, 1981, pp. 47-52.
5 Idris, M. K. "Laboratory Practice And Organization of Practicals Including Improvisation of Equipment," Journal of Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, Vol. No. 3, 1981, pp. 32-37.
6 Oyewole, O. "Practical Physics for Secondary Schools Books Three." Macmillan Nigeria Publishers Limited, Nigeria. 1980, pp. 11-26.
7 Lewis, J. L. "Teaching Schools Physics." Penguin Books, UNESCO, 1972