‘No better enabler of technology than law’

Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi penultimate week Tuesday in Abuja stated that law is the best enabler of technology.
In a chat with TheCreed online, Mr. Abdullahi stated that with the law in certain places, the scientists and technologists may not even be able to expound their theories and scientific observations.

He said: “The good thing I keep telling our scientists even in the ministry here is that there is no better enabler of technology than
law itself. Because without law in certain cases or areas, you cannot expound your findings.
“You know that there are times when scientists are killed, it is the institution of law that gives them protection, they can prosper and expound their findings. Law is a necessary enabler, a necessary framework for the advancement of science and technology to prosper in Nigeria. So, we will use the instrumentality of the law to get the National Assembly (NASS) to legislate in a way that will ensure freedom of information, freedom of scientists to conduct their research and ensure that outcome of their work is elaborately brought to use by the country and, consequently, we have taken a number of steps in that respect.

“For instance, in the National Office for Technological Acquisition and Protection (NOTAP), we have taken a move to ensure that the enabling Act is amended to give it more leverage to promote the intellectual property of Nigerians and ensure compliance with franchise laws and then to also ensure that there is enough power for monitoring, because as it is they don’t have enough power to monitor and they also don’t have enforcement powers.
“We need the law to give them enforcement powers so that where a company is erring in terms of its commitment to the country, NOTAP can take them to court and enforce their agreements that were incidental to their getting the franchise approvals in Nigeria. So, essentially we need the law give the basic status to operate within the framework of their mandate.

Fielding questions on how the law and his knowledge of the law has advanced his work and that of the Ministry, he said: “Well, I think that my background as a lawyer has helped me a lot because of the versatile nature of law, it is expected of a lawyer that he should be a master of all subjects in the world and that is why when you see lawyers make presentations in court, when they cross examine witnesses in court in disciplines outside the legal profession like medicine, accountancy, and so on, you will think that the lawyer is a medical doctor or accountant himself.

“So I think that the legal profession allows you to be flexible, to be open minded in terms of your understanding and appreciation of facts, figures and whatever you do in law is about evidence. Evidence law teaches you how to examine things not only on probative value but on the essence and motive of such actions. And science is really about evidence, the proof of scientific assumptions through research and empirical data. Research is about experiment and proof of a given scientific ideas and their creativity, so I find the legal profession resonating with science and technology and I find it very useful in the application of my duties here.”

Abdullahi stated that science, technology and ICT drive many modern economies and Nigeria can turn her economy to a knowledge based one.
“This is because science, technology and ICT are the drivers of any economy. And if you want your country to be knowledge based, you must take science education serious.
“What we do is to use technology as a vehicle towards achieving economic prosperity as well as self-reliance, that is the essence. Now most industries now ought to be driven by technology; that leads us to the issue of robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). If you notice in western countries, most of their industries are run by robots; they are programmed through AI to achieve results faster than human support.

“So we think that, and the President rightly said, our industries, our economy, our engineering designs must be driven by technology. In this respect, Mr. President is right. We are supporting the economic sector to ensure that they are driven by technology so that we can achieve results”.