{"id":118737,"date":"2025-05-14T21:20:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:20:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=118737"},"modified":"2025-05-14T21:20:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T20:20:52","slug":"nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Daniel Adaji<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has declared that Nigeria\u2019s future will no longer be driven by mineral resources but by innovation, technology, and intellectual capital.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Speaking on Wednesday at the 22nd National Council on Innovation, Science, and Technology held in Abuja, Nnaji emphasised that \u201cleadership among nations is no longer determined by mineral wealth, but by intellectual capital, innovation, and the ability to commercialize ideas. Nigeria must follow this path.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The minister described the gathering not as a routine policy event but as \u201ca movement\u201d for national transformation through innovation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe future of Nigeria will be shaped by deliberate choices\u2014choices to embrace science, technology, and innovation as engines of national progress,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Highlighting the country\u2019s untapped potential, he said, \u201cFor too long, valuable research from our universities and institutions has remained underutilized\u2014disconnected from industry and national development. Our young inventors have brilliant ideas but often lack the systems and structures to realize them. This is not a failure of talent\u2014it is a failure of systems.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He called for a unified effort across sectors to build a viable innovation ecosystem.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cIf we are to compete globally, we must dismantle these barriers and build a vibrant ecosystem where academia, industry, government, and finance collaborate seamlessly,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Addressing the need for practical innovation, he added, \u201cLet us make research purposeful. Let us make development intentional. Let us make innovation exciting. Let us make commercialization impactful.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Nnaji also revealed that the Federal Executive Council had approved the launch of four satellites to boost national security.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThese will significantly enhance Nigeria\u2019s surveillance capacity. The SAR satellite will provide continuous coverage\u2014day and night, in all weather conditions. This will eliminate our dependence on external satellite data,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On research governance, he noted that progress is ongoing toward establishing the long-awaited National Research and Innovation Fund.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThis was a promise made by the President\u2014one to be realized immediately after the Infrastructure Fund for the Ministry of Works is concluded,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Esuabana Asanye, also stressed the urgency of building an inclusive innovation system.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThis summit is not merely about policies or programs\u2014it is a call to action. We must create a dynamic innovation ecosystem where all stakeholders work collaboratively,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>She described the Council\u2019s theme\u2014\u201cResearch, Develop, Innovate, and Commercialize: A Cycle for National Prosperity\u201d\u2014as \u201ca roadmap for producing tangible results\u201d and disclosed that over 100 memoranda had been submitted by participants.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>These addressed issues such as indigenous research commercialization, research funding, emerging technologies, and institutional collaboration.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by Permanent Secretary General Services in the AGF office, Dr. Maurice Nnamdi in a goodwill message, said, \u201cSustainable national development can only be achieved by fostering a resilient innovation ecosystem\u2014where research is purposeful, development is solution-oriented, innovation is continuous, and commercialization translates ideas into tangible impacts.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Akume called on stakeholders to move from \u201cintention to implementation,\u201d saying, \u201cEach sector has a vital role to play: Academic institutions must generate cutting-edge, demand-driven research. Industry must invest in and scale these innovations. Government must provide the enabling environment.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He assured that the Office of the SGF will continue to push for increased investment in research and cross-sectoral coordination to realize the country\u2019s innovation goals.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Council\u2019s resolutions are expected to shape Nigeria\u2019s science and technology policy direction in the coming years.<\/div>\n<div class=\"yj6qo\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"adL\"><\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daniel Adaji The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has declared that Nigeria\u2019s future will no longer be driven by mineral resources but by innovation, technology, and&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Daniel Adaji The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has declared that Nigeria\u2019s future will no longer be driven by mineral resources but by innovation, technology, and&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Our Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"headline\":\"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\"},\"wordCount\":591,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\",\"name\":\"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/\",\"name\":\"Pointblank News\",\"description\":\"Just the news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c\",\"name\":\"Our Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Our Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News","og_description":"Daniel Adaji The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has declared that Nigeria\u2019s future will no longer be driven by mineral resources but by innovation, technology, and&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/","og_site_name":"Pointblank News","article_published_time":"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1365,"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Our Reporter","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Our Reporter","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/"},"author":{"name":"Our Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"headline":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister","datePublished":"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/"},"wordCount":591,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/","name":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister - Pointblank News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-05-14T20:20:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Uche-Geoffrey-Nnaji-1.jpeg","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/nigerias-future-lies-in-innovation-not-mineral-wealth-minister\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nigeria\u2019s Future Lies in Innovation, Not Mineral Wealth \u2013 Minister"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#website","url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/","name":"Pointblank News","description":"Just the news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/ba61acbe7e8967bcf3f3ba603d9db23c","name":"Our Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83b3820ef93d502ae3a617b2c881ca42?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Our Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118739,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118737\/revisions\/118739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}