Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro, has charged Nigerian Scientists to transform knowledge into goods and services for national development. Delivering a keynote address titled “The Challenge of Deploying Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation to National Development, at the 48th Annual Conference of the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN), held in the University, Professor Bamiro said that plans for capacity building for Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI), must take cognisance of their peculiarities since the building of science capacity is fundamentally different from the building of an engineering or technological capacity. He observed that the on-going globalisation of the world economies is such that developing nations, such as ours, are ‘casualties’ in the ‘take-no-prisoner’ war of global competition for markets and resources, adding that it is obvious by our low industrial competitive indices in the various sectors.

Professor Bamiro highlighted that the development and deployment of SETI capacity is sine-qua-non to the socio-economic development of our nation while calling on all stakeholders to carry out review and take crucial steps to translate the policy initiatives into strategic plans and actions by various institutions. While welcoming the Osun State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, represented by the Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Honourable Professor (Mrs.) Olubukola Oyawoye, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Prof. Felix Salako, stated that FUNAAB as become the University of choice in the Federation for obvious reasons. He said that last year, FUNAAB had about 35,000 applicants, who choose the University as their first choice at th UTME. This year, it has doubled the number. The University is therefore very conscious of its enviable position from inception, and especially, in recent times.