Reps threaten action as ministers shun research fund hearing

The House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology has threatened to report the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, to the House for his absence at a public hearing on a bill proposing the establishment of a National Research and Innovation Development Fund. The committee, chaired by Zakariya Zannah, views the minister's absence, along with that of the ministry's Permanent Secretary, as unacceptable and potentially harmful to Nigeria's efforts to attract research grants from international bodies.

Committee member Ahmed Jaha described the minister's absence as an act of sabotage against the executive-legislative relationship, emphasizing the importance of the proposed fund in providing a coordinated financing framework for research institutions and attracting international funding. The committee has invited several other ministers and stakeholders to participate in the consideration of the bill but none of the invited ministers attended the hearing.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.