13th February, 2016
The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) on Friday said it would give the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) some grant to promote research works in the country.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known when a team from the Academy visited him in Abuja.
He said “once the budget is approved, we will be in a position to give you a grant that can be used to promote research projects toward national development.
“The Academy will determine the kind of research it will carry out but it is good to start small as the grant may not be huge; though it can get better,” he added.
The minister, who described the Academy as “a storehouse of the best brains in the nation,” told the team that the ministry would strengthen its relationship with it for enhanced research and development in the country.
Onu expressed the hope that the Academy would start publishing journals again as local reports on development in science and technology in the country.
Earlier, the President of the NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, had commended the minister for the achievements he had so far recorded as minister.
Tomori said that the Academy was ready to work with the ministry to collectively move the country forward.
According to him, NAS is the apex scientific organisation in the country that acts as an adviser to the Federal Government
and funds research fellowships and scientific start-up companies.