From Godwin Tsa and Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has expressed regret that successive administrations abandoned the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development, an initiative introduced during his tenure to develop Nigeria’s brightest minds in science and technology.
He said the discontinuation of the programme after he left office in 2015 remained a source of personal disappointment, warning that Nigeria could not achieve technological independence or meaningful industrial development without deliberate investment in skilled manpower.
Speaking at the official launch of the Zeetin Technologies factory and unveiling of its tricycles in Abuja, the former president called for a renewed national commitment to scientific research, innovation and manufacturing.
He said Nigeria, with a population exceeding 200 million and a predominantly youthful population, possessed the human resources to become a major manufacturing centre if the government prioritised technical education and the development of indigenous skills.
According to him, the country must move beyond dependence on imported products and develop the capacity to manufacture goods for domestic consumption and export.
Jonathan recalled that his administration introduced the scholarship scheme to identify and train exceptional young Nigerians in science and technology, describing the initiative as part of a broader effort to prepare the country for a technology-driven global economy.
“My Principal Secretary then, Ambassador Hassan is here and my Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe too is here. When we came up with the Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development, it was a programme to develop the best brains in science and technology,” he said.
“So, we as a nation, must begin to think about producing our own things, not importing everything. That was the propelling force that made us to come up with that. Somehow, it was aborted when we left. That is one of the things I feel so sad because you cannot talk about going to the moon, producing missiles and…”
The former president argued that industrial advancement depended not merely on the availability of cheap labour but on a country’s ability to produce highly skilled workers capable of supporting sophisticated manufacturing processes.
Citing China, he observed that companies from technologically advanced countries, including the United States, continued to establish production facilities there because of the country’s extensive pool of trained personnel.
He said China’s expertise extended across different industries, including emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, enabling businesses to find the skills required to manufacture a wide range of products.
Jonathan maintained that Nigeria needed a similar approach to human capital development, particularly given its large youth population.
He also cited developments involving Iran and the United States, as well as Russia and Ukraine, to illustrate the strategic importance of scientific knowledge and technological capacity in contemporary international relations.
According to him, countries that invest in developing their human resources are better positioned to defend their interests and compete with more powerful nations.
He urged the Federal Government to establish sustainable programmes for identifying, training and supporting talented young Nigerians, stressing that such investments would create jobs, strengthen local industries and reduce dependence on imports.
Jonathan commended the Chairman of Zeetin Technologies, Azibaola Robert, for investing in indigenous manufacturing and technological development.
He described Robert’s transition from activism to industrial entrepreneurship as commendable and expressed optimism that the company would expand beyond its present achievements.
Earlier, Robert said the development of any industrialised nation began with deliberate efforts to acquire, adapt and improve existing technologies.
He explained that this informed the company’s partnership with VIAR Technologies of Indonesia to establish tricycle production in Nigeria.
“Zeetin and VIAR Technologies Indonesia are partnering together to start the production of tricycles here and we are producing here,” Robert said.
He disclosed that the partnership had the potential to produce between 100 and 200 tricycles daily at the factory.
Also speaking, Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Emomotimi Agama, urged the company to explore opportunities in the capital market to finance its long-term expansion.
“These are long-term projects and long-term projects require long-term money to run. For you to be able to increase your capacity and get to the point where you want to get to, you certainly require capital market money,” Agama said.
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