Another Day, Another Committee: Nigeria’s Trillion-Dollar Dream

I watched with keen interest as Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated yet another committee, this time an Inter-ministerial Committee on Research and Innovation. The mandate? To transform Nigeria into a “trillion-dollar innovation economy” within a decade. Yes, you read that right – a trillion-dollar economy in 10 years.

To be sure, the committee’s terms of reference sound impressive – coordinating action in five strategic sectors: Agriculture and Climate Resilience, Manufacturing Excellence, Healthcare Innovation, Natural Resource Optimisation, and Energy Security. Their mission, according to Shettima, is to “ensure food security, energy security, and break the nation’s dependence on imports.”

But haven’t we heard this song before? How many committees, panels, and task forces have been set up over the years with similar grandiose objectives? Where are the results?

The Vice President says, “The future we desire is not something we inherit. It is something we build.” Fine words indeed, but can you build a future on a crumbling foundation?

I completely agree that innovation should be a national priority. No modern economy can thrive without significant investment in research and development. But setting up committees is the easy part. The hard part is implementation, funding, and creating the enabling environment for innovation to flourish.

Let’s even assume this committee is different and truly committed to its mandate. How can it achieve its objectives in a country where electric power remains unreliable, where insecurity has made farming in many parts of the country a death wish, where our educational institutions are underfunded, and where brain drain has reached alarming levels?

The Vice President mentioned that a major target is to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 percent. Ok, that’s a worthy objective. But how do you achieve this when farmers in the North are being kidnapped or killed on their farms by bandits and terrorists? When floods destroy thousands of hectares of farmland every year? When the cost of inputs continues to rise exponentially?

Personally, I think the administration is putting the cart before the horse. Before we dream of a trillion-dollar innovation economy, let’s fix the basics – security, power, and education. Without these fundamentals, all the committees in the world won’t move the needle.

I’ve always been cautious about criticising government initiatives aimed at economic development. Hopefully, this one will not be another opportunity for civil servants to collect sitting allowances and produce reports that will gather dust on shelves.

The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was quoted as saying that the committee would help the country save scarce resources by harmonising efforts and reducing duplication of functions. That’s actually the only part of this entire setup that makes sense to me. Our ministries have been notorious for working in solos, duplicating efforts, and wasting resources.

This brings me to the VP’s other recent engagement – his admonition to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) retreat. Shettima implored government agencies to deepen synergy and end “bureaucratic turf wars.” He declared that “the era of buck-passing on the mandates of government is over.”

I found myself nodding in agreement with this. The bureaucratic bottlenecks in our government systems have been a major hindrance to business growth and investment in Nigeria. For years, investors have complained about the multiple agencies they have to deal with, each with its own requirements, timelines, and fees.

The question is, will the VP’s admonition translate to actual change in how our MDAs operate? Will the heads of these agencies put aside their territorial instincts and work together for the common good? I’m sceptical, but hopeful.

Do I support the idea of making Nigeria a more innovation-driven economy? Absolutely. Do I believe this committee is the vehicle that will take us there? I have my doubts.

On another note, the Vice President also launched Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework to tackle floods and climate disasters. This one, I must say, seems more grounded in reality and addresses an immediate need.

According to reports, the framework aims to shift disaster management from reactive responses to proactive preparedness by leveraging early warnings, local empowerment, and pre-arranged financing to save lives and livelihoods. Given that floods affected over five million Nigerians in 2024 and climate change continues to wreak havoc globally, this initiative is timely.

I strongly suggest that this framework be given priority in terms of funding and implementation. Climate-induced disasters are no longer distant threats; they are here, disrupting lives and livelihoods. A proactive approach to managing these disasters could indeed save lives and reduce economic losses.

The VP cited an example from Benue State where trained volunteers, responding to early warning alerts, evacuated over 80,000 people within 72 hours. That’s impressive and shows what’s possible with proper planning and coordination.

I completely agree with the VP when he says, “We lose close to 5% of our GDP every year to reactive disaster responses. This approach is not only unsustainable, it is also deeply unjust to the most vulnerable among us.”

But here’s the thing – the success of this framework, like many others before it, will depend on implementation. Will the early warning systems be deployed across the country, especially in remote areas prone to flooding? Will pre-triggered financing be available when needed? Will local communities be properly trained and equipped to respond to alerts?

These are the real questions that will determine whether this framework becomes a game-changer or just another policy document gathering dust.

Politicians on both sides of the divide need to understand that Nigerians are tired of fancy committees, frameworks, and policies that don’t translate to tangible improvements in their lives. The time for grand visions and rhetoric is over. We need action, implementation, and results.