ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Nigerian Academy of Science has expressed worry over the increasing exodus of researchers and scientists from the country.
The Executive Secretary of the academy, Dr Oladoyin Odubanjo, raised the concern on Monday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
He said the trend represents a major risk to the future of scientific research and development in Nigeria.
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According to Odubanjo, while the migration of health workers has been more visible, a similar outflow is also taking place within the science and technology sector.
“One of the big areas people are not talking about is the migration of researchers.
“We know about health workers and all, but researchers are also leaving. Many of our young researchers are leaving the country.
“They are leaving in their numbers, going to look for career paths, and other countries are taking them away.
“If we have no people, then there will be no research,” he said.
He noted that the departure of researchers has a direct impact on the nation’s research capacity, stressing that scientific progress depends on collaboration between experienced and early-career academics.
Odubanjo, however, expressed optimism that sustained reforms and improved funding could help stabilise the situation.
He pointed to recent policy adjustments, including efforts to relax restrictions linked to the Treasury Single Account, as steps that could enhance access to research grants and boost productivity.
“Before now, even when researchers got grants, the funds went into the TSA, and accessing the money to buy reagents or go to the field became extremely difficult, especially when approvals were centralised in the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
He explained that such delays often disrupted fieldwork and data collection, thereby hampering research output.
Odubanjo added that with better policies, easier access to funding and stronger manpower retention, scientific research in Nigeria could begin a gradual recovery in the coming year.