nearline:
I’ll start by saying this is not about politics. Yes the current state of the political atmosphere of the country is affecting a lot of businesses negatively but when it does affect things positively nothing much goes on except that businesses do better financially. For us to really grow in Nigeria we need to be developed technologically and when I say technologically I don’t mean having companies that build native mobile and web apps like Uber and Jumia and co. Those count too but they are still at the bottom of the barrel as far as I’m concerned. And no this is also not about being able to export agricultural produce to other countries. That is, in my own opinion, still very mediocre. What I’m talking about here is that we as a country need to invest heavily in and make serious advances in scientific research and development, and local manufacturing (hi tech and low tech). Anyone with half a brain knows that this single fact is what allowed the white man to be above us blacks in nearly everything. The wealth of knowledge they have gathered over many decades of research is why they are able to develop a great diversity of products that they sell all over the world today and this is what has made them richer than Nigeria (Africa in general) today. Scientific research and development in any context does not have to mean you need to set up a laboratory worth hundreds or even tens of millions of Naira to be able to discover new knowledge. It may be as simple as mixing a little bit of clay with mortar (cement, water and sand mixture) to see what the effect will be on its adhesive strength so far as the process, tests and results are carefully measured and well documented. And it may be as advanced as literal rocket science. Things as trivial as non-stick cooking pots and non-stick frying pans are products of advanced science research. Manufacturing can also be as simple as making tomato paste and others like that locally and shipping them abroad. Watch making is another thing (one I personally have plans to go into in the future). The possibilities as you know are endless. So by exporting and generating revenue for business owners and Nigeria (if we put aside the political climate of the country) Nigeria (and other African countries if they follow suit) will be come so rich we will be respected by other countries.

Edit: I strategically set my eyes on watch making because everything required to make a quartz watch can be sourced locally in Nigeria.

Cc: sukkot, Gerrard59, Konquest, Treadway

This post is partly inspired by Gerrard59’s post linked below:
https://www.nairaland.com/5886610/racism-against-blacks-reduce-drastically

sukkot:
i totally agree with you however it seems the mass production of anything tech has been globally taken over by china and looks like it will be that way for the next 100 plus years. I believe we need to go into high tech agriculture. I believe that’s the future for Nigeria. High tech agriculture. We can be the food hub of the world

nearline:

This works too. But the fact is not everything is made in china. Sure a lot of things are mass produced in china but there are loads of other things that are not made in china in mass quantities and some not made there at all. Trust me. I know what I’m saying. But like I said your Idea is one of many that can work for Nigeria/Africa.

Edit: About china being the mass production hub for tech and other commodities there is room for competition. Even some American manufacturers are slowly bringing some of the manufacturing they do in china back home to better help their economy.

OneCandleAway:
The black man excels mostly in the arts.

Singing, dancing, then athletics.

When it comes to critical thinking, he is behind (few exceptions are obviously available but majority are guilty and overwhelm the few )

Ofodirinwa:
^It's you that's behind



China being successful doesn't means others can't do the same and exist. Eventually, China will be so wealthy that it will start importing more than it produces as well. and that's a big opening.

But there's no such a thing as a country dominating something. There's a lot of ppl who are successful in those things in China and some are in Nigeria and there can be more in NIgeria

sukkot:
bro trust me China got that whole tech thing sewed up for the next 100 years, everyday containers loaded with tech products hit the high seas from China for all 200 plus countries on the planet. We gotta focus on high tech agriculture. It’s within our grasp

nearline:
I’ll start by saying this is not about politics. Yes the current state of the political atmosphere of the erned. And no this is also not about being able to export agricultural produce to other countries. That is, in my own opinion, still very mediocre. What I’m talking about here is that we as a country need to invest heavily in and make serious advances in scientific research and development, and local manufacturing (hi tech and low tech). Anyone with half a brain knows that this single fact is what allowed the white man to be above us blacks in nearly everything. The wealth of knowledge they have gathered over many decades of research is why they are able to develop a great diversity of products that they sell all over the world today and this is what has made them richer than Nigeria (Africa in general) today. Scientific research and development in any context does not have to mean you need to set up a And it may be as advanced as literal rocket science. Things as trivial as non-stick cooking pots and non-stick frying pans are products of advanced science research. Manufacturing can also be as simple as making tomato paste and others like that locally and shipping them abroad.

Cc: suk.kot, Gerrar.d59, Konq.uest, Tread.way

This post is partly inspired by Ger.rard59’s post linked below:
https://www.nairaland.com/5886610/racism-against-blacks-reduce-drastically

Watch making is another thing (one I personally have plans to go into in the future). The possibilities as you know are endless. So by exporting and generating revenue for business owners and Nigeria (if we put aside the political climate of the country) Nigeria (and other African countries if they follow suit) will be come so rich we will be respected by other countries.

Edit: I strategically set my eyes on watch making because everything required to make a quartz watch can be sourced locally in Nigeria.

babasolution:
The majority tribes who should be championing things like this are doing Suegbe Suegbe all over the place

common roads,they have to bring a white skinned man to build it. A state with thousands of matured men,they will not feel an iota of shame that a white skinned man as to build road for them.

sukkot:
bro trust me China got that whole tech thing sewed up for the next 100 years, everyday containers loaded with tech products hit the high seas from China for all 200 plus countries on the planet. We gotta focus on high tech agriculture. It’s within our grasp

Gerrard59:


To your concerns, the foundation for scientific development must be laid: basic mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology. Mathematics and physics need to be taken seriously, as those are the bedrock of scientific research. Chemistry and biology come in for medical treatments but are built upon the successes of mathematics and physics. For a start, we perform poorly at mathematics as we score poorly compared to the Chinese or Indians on the GRE Quant section. We even have lower verbal scores on the same test compared to the Chinese whose first language is not English. So, we have to start by ensuring the majority of the populace LOVE mathematics and logic. We have to inculcate a culture of questioning concepts no matter how sacred they might be. We have to grow a culture of curiosity in the populace. Curiosity and questioning, I believe, are necessary ingredients to kickstart basic research. Why? How? What? When? Who? These are questions people should be free to ask, and when no answers, they should press further for them or conduct research to know why there are no answers. In summary, people should be free to ask questions and get answers to them. No question is too sacred to be asked or institution to be questioned. We should do away with trust me bro, I no fit lie give you mentalities and sniffing statistics from the Bureau of Imaginary Statistics

Gerrard59:


Basic research, not applied, is the bedrock of scientific development, but it is a long term stuff. It is not something one does today and expect profits tomorrow. It is the reason Nobel laureates in the science category are judged based on works they did donkey years ago and in a few cases, some years ago as the recent winners in the Medicine or Physiology category because of COVID or Chemistry because of the speed CRISPR has grown and its applications. However, one of the reasons why basic research and its applied sister haven't been taken seriously is because we are at the nadir of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. People who have focused on the basic necessities of life would not be thinking of inventing or innovation. Na when person don chop belly full, him or her go begin think of discovering a cheaper or novel way of treating an ailment.

Gerrard59:


Finally, thanks once again for referencing my thread as that is the ONLY way to reduce racism. So if any clown cries of racism while sitting his yansh in the abroad, tell the person to move to Africa to contribute to its economic development as that is the only way to solve the issue rather than protesting and chanting wE wAz kAuNgS or bLaCk LiVeS mAtTeR. Black lives matter ONLY when the lives of sub-Saharan Africans have been improved tremendously and that work can only be done by black people. No one is coming to help us develop our environment.

NOwazobia:
Nothing can develop Nigeria until we reduce corruption to the very minimum.


I mean Nothing on earth, not even your science.


You guys tend to put the horse before the cart, largely due to your fantasy, and less rationalization of reality... 😂

nearline:
I’ll start by saying this is not about politics. Yes the current state of the political atmosphere of the country is affecting a lot of businesses negatively but when it does affect things positively nothing much goes on except that businesses do better financially. For us to really grow in Nigeria we need to be developed technologically and when I say technologically I don’t mean having companies that build native mobile and web apps like Uber and Jumia and co. Those count too but they are still at the bottom of the barrel as far as I’m concerned. And no this is also not about being able to export agricultural produce to other countries. That is, in my own opinion, still very mediocre. What I’m talking about here is that we as a country need to invest heavily in and make serious advances in scientific research and development, and local manufacturing (hi tech and low tech). Anyone with half a brain knows that this single fact is what allowed the white man to be above us blacks in nearly everything. The wealth of knowledge they have gathered over many decades of research is why they are able to develop a great diversity of products that they sell all over the world today and this is what has made them richer than Nigeria (Africa in general) today. Scientific research and development in any context does not have to mean you need to set up a laboratory worth hundreds or even tens of millions of Naira to be able to discover new knowledge. It may be as simple as mixing a little bit of clay with mortar (cement, water and sand mixture) to see what the effect will be on its adhesive strength so far as the process, tests and results are carefully measured and well documented. And it may be as advanced as literal rocket science. Things as trivial as non-stick cooking pots and non-stick frying pans are products of advanced science research. Manufacturing can also be as simple as making tomato paste and others like that locally and shipping them abroad. Watch making is another thing (one I personally have plans to go into in the future). The possibilities as you know are endless. So by exporting and generating revenue for business owners and Nigeria (if we put aside the political climate of the country) Nigeria (and other African countries if they follow suit) will be come so rich we will be respected by other countries.

Edit: I strategically set my eyes on watch making because everything required to make a quartz watch can be sourced locally in Nigeria.

Cc: sukkot, Gerrard59, Konquest, Treadway

This post is partly inspired by Gerrard59’s post linked below:
https://www.nairaland.com/5886610/racism-against-blacks-reduce-drastically

Gerrard59:


I am pleased someone found that thread worthy. If it were Twitter, I would have been lampooned because of kini kon. Thanks for the compliment.

To your concerns, the foundation for scientific development must be laid: basic mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology. Mathematics and physics need to be taken seriously, as those are the bedrock of scientific research. Chemistry and biology come in for medical treatments but are built upon the successes of mathematics and physics. For a start, we perform poorly at mathematics as we score poorly compared to the Chinese or Indians on the GRE Quant section. We even have lower verbal scores on the same test compared to the Chinese whose first language is not English. So, we have to start by ensuring the majority of the populace LOVE mathematics and logic. We have to inculcate a culture of questioning concepts no matter how sacred they might be. We have to grow a culture of curiosity in the populace. Curiosity and questioning, I believe, are necessary ingredients to kickstart basic research. Why? How? What? When? Who? These are questions people should be free to ask, and when no answers, they should press further for them or conduct research to know why there are no answers. In summary, people should be free to ask questions and get answers to them. No question is too sacred to be asked or institution to be questioned. We should do away with trust me bro, I no fit lie give you mentalities and sniffing statistics from the Bureau of Imaginary Statistics

Basic research, not applied, is the bedrock of scientific development, but it is a long term stuff. It is not something one does today and expect profits tomorrow. It is the reason Nobel laureates in the science category are judged based on works they did donkey years ago and in a few cases, some years ago as the recent winners in the Medicine or Physiology category because of COVID or Chemistry because of the speed CRISPR has grown and its applications. However, one of the reasons why basic research and its applied sister haven't been taken seriously is because we are at the nadir of the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. People who have focused on the basic necessities of life would not be thinking of inventing or innovation. Na when person don chop belly full, him or her go begin think of discovering a cheaper or novel way of treating an ailment.

I watched a post by the BBC where traditional healers in the Southwest are paired with nurses and psychiatrists to treat or cure mental health issues. Sponsored by the World Bank, it is a good initiative as I have always questioned the efficacy of traditional healers. My argument is: that if they are so good at what they do, why are they not rich? Yes, if someone claims his or her solution is the best, they should commercialise it and become rich. Don't hide it. That is how the White man operates, ditto the East Asians. They use the proceeds of a discovery/invention/innovation to fund future research works. So, it is a never-ending journey. So, if the solution is good, then commercialise it. Make money out of it. If, because of financial constraints, it cannot be commercialised, publicise it so others fund the process and make money out of it. That was Artemisin was created by either Sanofi or Roche after the Chinese woman discovered the bark of the Artemisia tree could effectively treat malaria. The pharma company made money, and she won the Nobel prize in Medicine in 2015. So, anyone who tells you his or her solution to Problem ABC, tell that person to commercialise it or sell the methods to those who can. Any solution that works but cannot be commercialised is largely useless as it means it has no real-world application.



This is a good idea. If your watches are so good and stylish, you can pair with a good marketer and both of you collaborate to sell them. That is how to make money, which is then used to fund the company and future expeditions. So, you could find one of those folks who markets and sells watches at good rates and make a business out of it. Capitalism is the reason the white man progresses ahead of others. Humans are greedy, so money is important. Don't allow anyone to tell you otherwise. Capitalism remains the only economic system that has pulled people out of poverty than any other economic system. I say this because I read one Nairalander questioning whether capitalism promotes prosperity, whereas ALL prosperous countries today practice capitalism. A good way of assessing whether a country is prosperous is by checking the eligible countries under the US Visa Waiver Program.

So yes, there are countless examples. One is cassava processing into many by-products. We produce more cassava than any country, ditto for yams. So, nothing stops us from applying the basic research by IITA or NRCRI (they have been good with basic research into certain cash crops) into producing enough products from cassava. Cassava is a supercrop as it has many uses and derivatives. Thailand is the world's biggest exporter of its by-products. Sometimes, I think we are not risk takers; if not, why should the biggest crop producer not be the biggest exporter of any of its by-products? IITA and NRCRI are good examples of basic research, and to answer your thread, research output from those institutions should be commercialised by risky entrepreneurs who will put their money to fund the production of by-products. In return, the business environment should be free of any price regulation. I say this because should I, for instance, go into massive production of HPCF or ethanol, fellow Nigerians would moan that the price of garri has ballooned and the government should regulate the price of garri or set-up a commodity pricing board to dictate the prices at which farmers sell their produce. I hate price control; the economy should be FREE! God bless Milton Friedman.

A way to leapfrog research is by learning from others who know it. At this point in human existence, I dare say there is no point in reinventing the wheel. For instance, there is a research institution in Kaduna that studies a certain class of crop and the national chairman of its growers said the best species is in Serbia. In that case, the government can invite those Serbians to teach those in Kaduna. In return, publicise the research results so that risky entrepreneurs go into the large production of the crop and harness its entire value chain to make money. Making money is EXTREMELY important in research o. So, meet someone who knows it, pay the person to teach you. Once grasped, go on your own and build on it. That is what the Chinese did. Just know that when you are progressing so fast and even faster than those who taught you, envy will come in. The reason the US is fighting China is because of the latter's massive advancement in semiconductors and other advanced forms of scientific research. https://www.nairaland.com/7801886/multipolarism-versus-hegemonism-great-power

Finally, thanks once again for referencing my thread as that is the ONLY way to reduce racism. So if any clown cries of racism while sitting his yansh in the abroad, tell the person to move to Africa to contribute to its economic development as that is the only way to solve the issue rather than protesting and chanting wE wAz kAuNgS or bLaCk LiVeS mAtTeR. Black lives matter ONLY when the lives of sub-Saharan Africans have been improved tremendously and that work can only be done by black people. No one is coming to help us develop our environment.

GodHimself:
Have you applied this in any way?

nearline:

Arts can contribute too. Yes. We just need to really modernise some of the things we do more to become better than the status quo. Take the case of Nigerian movies for example. I don’t see a reason why we cannot make really good (action) movies that make use of really good and very convincing computer graphics/special effects (VFX) in scenes that require them. That will make our movies have more acceptability in other countries. This means more sales/revenue for us. More and better use of tech in our arts industry will no doubt translate to more money for the industry.

Gerrard59:


In the process of applying. For instance, I have compiled close to 100 questions on socio-economic topics that must be answered with evidence backed by hard research. I decided to do this because of the too many I no fit lie give you answers Nigerians provide to general discourse. The aim is to employ journalists and researchers (graduate students and even professors) who will be on the ground to ask hard questions, get the answers, write about them and publish them in journals. Think about a science journal with lots of citations and references. Na so I wan do am.

So that if a topic is brought up for discussion, one can provide fact based evidence to support or demystify a claim. The era of trust me bro has to end.

OneCandleAway:
The black man excels mostly in the arts.

Singing, dancing, then athletics.

When it comes to critical thinking, he is behind (few exceptions are obviously available but majority are guilty and overwhelm the few )

nearline:
I’ll start by saying this is not about politics. Yes the current state of the political atmosphere of the country is affecting a lot of businesses negatively but when it does affect things positively nothing much goes on except that businesses do better financially. For us to really grow in Nigeria we need to be developed technologically and when I say technologically I don’t mean having companies that build native mobile and web apps like Uber and Jumia and co. Those count too but they are still at the bottom of the barrel as far as I’m concerned


And no this is also not about being able to export agricultural produce to other countries. That is, in my own opinion, still very mediocre. What I’m talking about here is that we as a country need to invest heavily in and make serious advances in scientific research and development, and local manufacturing (hi tech and low tech). Anyone with half a brain knows that this single fact is what allowed the white man to be above us blacks in nearly everything. The wealth of knowledge they have gathered over many decades of research is why they are able to develop a great diversity of products that they sell all over the world today and this is what has made them richer than Nigeria (Africa in general) today.

Scientific research and development in any context does not have to mean you need to set up a laboratory worth hundreds or even tens of millions of Naira to be able to discover new knowledge. It may be as simple as mixing a little bit of clay with mortar (cement, water and sand mixture) to see what the effect will be on its adhesive strength so far as the process, tests and results are carefully measured and well documented. And it may be as advanced as literal rocket science. Things as trivial as non-stick cooking pots and non-stick frying pans are products of advanced science research. Manufacturing can also be as simple as making tomato paste and others like that locally and shipping them abroad. Watch making is another thing (one I personally have plans to go into in the future). The possibilities as you know are endless. So by exporting and generating revenue for business owners and Nigeria (if we put aside the political climate of the country) Nigeria (and other African countries if they follow suit) will be come so rich we will be respected by other countries.

Edit: I strategically set my eyes on watch making because everything required to make a quartz watch can be sourced locally in Nigeria.

Cc: suk.kot, Gerr.ard59, Konq.uest, Trea.dway

This post is partly inspired by Gerr.ard59’s post linked below:
https://www.nairaland.com/5886610/racism-against-blacks-reduce-drastically

sukkot:
i totally agree with you however it seems the mass production of anything tech has been globally taken over by china and looks like it will be that way for the next 100 plus years. I believe we need to go into high tech agriculture. I believe that’s the future for Nigeria. High tech agriculture. We can be the food hub of the world

GodHimself:
I like the sound of that.

Will you be making the questions available to all?

oyatz:


Genetucally, Blackman is not really different from other races. The perceived differences are man-made problems that can also be solved by man-made solutions.

First, Africans must discard the use of Foreign languages as means of dissemination of knowledge especially Scientific knowledge in Schools and adopt indigenous languages.

Secondly Science Textbooks should be developed and writing by experts using examples of things commonly seen in the local environment.

At the start of a lecture on 'Carbon and it's compounds' in our Chemistry Class in SS-1, our Teacher asked all the students to stand-up and said 'if
you have seen Carbon before, sit down '

Only two of us could sit down, the whole class stood for a while because none of them had seen Carbon before. Then the teacher lashed them for being ignorant, saying that they see Carbon regularly but didn't know it is Carbon and gave them examples e.g coal, Carbon soots at the top of their lanterns , graphite rods inside their torch batteries etc.

Borrow222:



For Nigeria to achieve growth in Science or Engineering, it is imperative that every corner of the country is fully engaged.

We must eradicate tribalism and nepotism, fostering unity among all tribes. As long as nepotism and tribalism persist in Nigeria, progress will remain elusive.

Let us confront this reality.

Konquest:


Obafemi Awolowo established several industrial estates in some of the towns of the Old Western Region were he governed as the Prime Minister, such as Ikeja Industrial Estate, Ilupeju Industrial Estate, Iganmu Industrial Estate, Isolo Industrial Estate, Oluyole Industrial Estate in Ibadan, etc, to serve as high-end industrial and export hubs for finished goods. Many innovations and robust actions were introduced by Obafemi Awolowo such as the construction of the first of it's kind 21-storey "Western House" skyscraper belonging to the Western Region on Lagos Island which became the tallest building back then in the 1950s to 1960s on Lagos Island, and then the iconic tallest skyscraper in Nigeria called "Cocoa House" in Ibadan, and the first TV station in Africa. These were done through the power of individual foresight, team work and increased economic wealth. Even the Old Western Region had a diplomatic building in London before 1960, and it was that iconic building that Obafemi Awolowo's Old Western Region government handed over to Nigeria as an independence GIFT in 1960 to be used as her new Nigerian High Commission building in London!

Obafemi Awolowo's innovative and positive actions triggered other Nigerian regions to also compete in a healthy way by setting up Trans-Amadi Industrial Estate in Port Harcourt (and the one in Aba) in the Old Eastern Region, and Kakuri Industrial Estate in Kaduna in the Old Northern Region by the other regional governments.

nearline:


The truth is our government has now failed us. This is why I decided to exclude the political aspect from this post even though it has become obvious that that is not totally ignorable. The point here now is to see what we as citizens can do to help the country. As bad as it is right now in the country there are many billionaires in this country. Most of them live really quiet lives. These category of people can help one way or another. If the government cannot handle implementing and managing infrastructure, like the industrial estates you have mentioned for example, for her people then any aspect of that infrastructure that is legal to be privately owned can be taken up by capable individuals and built and made to work for the people. It is not like they will be doing it for free. To bring a little bit more of politics in to this we also need many politicians with serious self discipline sponsored (or not) by business moguls just like them that want what is best for this country to come up and fight for the rest of us on the political front. That will help a lot too. In fact that is needed. Politics is not child's play. We all know that. But we need people who are ready to go there to do what is best for us. And I must also mention that those set of individuals must not go alone as their enemies are many — more than they can count. Their opponents operate as a team so the ones who will go into politics to fight for the masses must also operate as a more formidable team. We need to face this reality. A man with a great vision is not nearly enough to change anything.

Gerrard59:


Yes. Something like this: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad6359

The question is asked (stated clearly as the subject), a discussion begins followed by the results and final discussion which dissects the results. Researchers are mentioned and it is published in a scientific journal and across social media forums/platforms. The aim is to ensure there are fact-based evidence for any claim. Rather than I no fit lie give you, you see reasons why something exists or happens or cannot happen or did not happen or does not exist.

https://www.nairaland.com/7763389/top-jamb-scorers-where-today A thread about top JAMB scorers. This aspect is open to many questions in unravelling who are/were the top JAMB scorers, what they did eventually study, where are they today, those who made a first class, why did others not make the same first class even though their JAMB scores were high etc.