An expert in Nanotechnology has called for the creation of Department of Nanotechnology in Nigeria within the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to drive, coordinate and oversee the country’s Nanotechnology general activities.
The expert, Professor Dare Olugbenga Oladepo, said that the department when created as advocated, should also receive separate budgetary allocation from the Government to enable it function effectively.
The Professor of Nanotechnology and a lecturer, Department of Chemistry, College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB), made this known in his recommendations while delivering the University’s 78th Inaugural Lecture.
During the Inaugural Lecture titled, “Nanotechnology: The size-Powered Harbinger Of The 21st Century Technological Revolution,” Professor Dare, who has made excellent research contributions in almost all aspects of Nanotechnology culminating in his not only being an innovator but also inventor, equally enjoined Government to establish Centres of Excellence in Nanotechnology.
He urged Nigeria Government to be part of the next technological revolution coming from nanotechnology in order to be relevant to R and D, noting that appropriate policy and plans to back up Nanotechnology should urgently be put in place.
He recommended that it is high time Nigerian Government keyed into the nanotechnology policy like South Africa and Egypt that already have policy and plans.
The Inaugural Lecturer, therefore, charged Government to emulate USA, Japan, Germany and other Countries that have succeeded in nanotechnology which tantamount to advancement, pointing out that imitating those that have succeeded is not synonymous to weakness, but to take the nation to the next technological revolution through nanotechnology.
Speaking further, he suggested that FUNAAB should establish Scholars’ Office of Patient, Intellectual property Protection and Partnership, saying that it will facilitate business development of research output.
He recalled that FUNAAB nanoproducts exhibited in the NURESDEF 2004 and 2005, raised the eyebrow of assessors and Constituted one of the reasons for the awards given to the University on those two occasions.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor professor Olusola Babatunde Kehinde, stated that Professor Dare, Enock Olugbenga Oladepo is the first and only Professor of Nanotechnology in Nigeria, who has won several World top International research fellowships.
Professor Babatunde Kehinde in his remarks stated that 78th Inaugural Lecturer has exported the concept of Nanoforensic to Regensburg University, Germany where he innovatively developed novel fluorescent nanohybrids for efficient detection and imagining of human fingerprint and consumer goods anti-counterfeiting, which are aids to securities.
He made it clear that Nanotechnology has been gaining ground in FUNAAB, especially in the Chemistry Department and other related Department, saying that Nanotechnology is a innovation in technology that can generate funds to the government coffer.
He restated that International Centre for Professional Development (ICPD) in FUNAAB is available for invasions like Nanotechnology.
