NIGERIA'S dream of becoming one of the top 20 largest economies in the world, able to consolidate its leadership role in Africa and establish itself as a significant player in the global economic and political arena may turn a mirage going by emerging indications.This fear was expressed yesterday when no winner emerged to clinch this year's Nigeria Prize for Sciences worth $100,000 sponsored by Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG).Fielding questions from journalists, former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oye Ibidapo Obe, said the science community felt saddened that no winner emerged this year, noting that the development indicated a bleak future for Nigeria's growth, especially in the area of scientific research.'All the nations of the world Nigeria wants to catch up with in the Vision 2020 are all science-based nations. The current parlous scientific environment in Nigeria is a disservice to the Vision 2020 project,' he said.While announcing the criteria used for deciding the contest and then declaring no winner for the science prize, chairman of judges for the science prize, Prof. Awele Maduemezia, said: 'The panel of judges for The Nigeria Prize 2011, painfully regrets to announce that after a thorough examination and evaluation of all the entries, including both internal and external assessment, that it is unable to recommend any of the 25 candidates for The Nigeria Prize for Science 2011 as none of them attained the level of excellence required for the award.'Maduemezia then went on to lament the depressing state of academics in the country and the outcome of scientific researches coming out of the nation's academic community. 'This makes a loud remark about the poor state of scientific research in this country,' he noted.One way of tackling the situation, according to Obe, 'is to encourage people to do more in-depth research and for scientists to come up with good researches. Today is not a bright day for scientists in Nigeria. Science needs support from government. We need good laboratories. We need larger levels of funding to achieve good research results. We need good scientists to teach our children. We need to start creating a new paradigm shift in this country.'LNG has done a great thing for Nigerian science and Literature by instituting this prize. While it is Literature that imagines things, it is science that tries to make such things happen.'Obe further stated that time had come for government to urgently support development of science in the country. He said a meeting in which an investiture would be held for President Goodluck Jonathan by the science community, would be a perfect opportunity to ask him to do what is required to move the nation's science forward.On his part, emeritus professor of English, two-time Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan and advisory chairman for Literature, Prof. Ayo Banjo, asked government to 'provide facilities for researches in the universities and polytechnics,' noting that the state of things in the nation's institutions was not good enough to encourage research in virtually all fields of learning.However, The Nigeria Prize for Literature fared better as a winner emerged to clinch the $100,000 prize. Mai Nasara won with his children's book, The Missing Clock. Chairman of judges for the literature prize and a former winner of the prize, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo of University of Lagos, announced the winner.Also present were eminent advisory board members both for literature and science.
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