Scholarship / NSTIR-2030 Innovation plan for Nigeria. Commonwealth Scholarship Application [3]

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Benefit to Home Country essay

According to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of Nigeria, on the 28 June 2017, resolved that setbacks in Nigeria's technological development and industrialisation must stop and approved the 13-year National Science, Technology and Innovation Roadmap (NSTIR-2030).

The Minister noted that, to the nation, Research and Development in Science and Technology is a top priority. He stressed that the NSTIR-2030 would aid the country's transition to a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy; and that universities and other research institutes are key contributors to the development of this new national roadmap.

In spite of this, it is common knowledge that there are insufficient scholars in Nigerian universities with the required technical expertise and understanding in emerging fields of engineering-technology to help achieve this plan. Hence, this is where my masters' study will be of benefit to Nigeria. It will arm me with the required proficiency to drive innovation in Nigeria's robotics engineering development.

Armed with these skills and knowledge, I plan to introduce taught courses in the new department of Computer Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Akure. The outcomes of this plan for the participating students will be to equip them with foundational knowledge in robotics and build their inner-drive for Nigerian exceptionalism. During each semester, there would be a follow-up to get feedback from students before and after the commencement of the taught courses.

I will also pioneer a robotics-research group in my home institution. The goal of the research group will be to develop novel home-grown robotics algorithms to tackle indigenous problems. Research projects would be put on the: university's website; and peer-reviewed journals. An indicator of the impact of this plan will be seen in achievement of one of the primary objectives of the NSTIR-2030, which is to improve indigenous teaching, research and development in areas of advanced computing and robotics; and also by the gradual rise in the university's ranking as the first and best place to study robotics in Nigeria.

Moreover, achieving the NSTIR-2030 will be an illusion if young ones in secondary schools are not channelled into future readiness by understanding the connection and application of Mathematics to technological development. Hence, using my robotics-study as proof, on my return home, through the Great Brains and Young Intellectuals Initiative, GBAYII, I plan to collaborate with the DFID's West-Africa Science and Innovation Network to develop a Mathematics Summer Programme that will focus on improving learning outcomes of mathematics among secondary-school students using a realistic methodology. Lagos will be used as the first-case study, in line with the DFID-Nigeria Operational Plan, due to its enabling environment and supportive government education policies.

This work will enable future-ready STEM students who understand that Mathematics is reality. In the long-run, the gradual increase in Nigeria's quality of education would indicate the impact of my work.