Page 33 - Grundtvig International Secondary School Yearbook 2019

SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE AND
THE PEOPLE FOR SCIENCE

F ebruary 28 of every year is celebrated as National Science Day throughout the country to
commemorate the discovery of Raman Effect by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, the
Indian Scientist who was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery. It is important to recall the
words of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, “Science and technology are going to play an important role in
the country's progress and development ….. It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger
and poverty, of insanitation and illiteracy, of superstition and deadening custom and tradition, of vast
resources running to waste, or a rich country inhabited by starving people”. He emphasized that the
future belongs to science and those who make friends with science.

With this background and after 58 years
of Independence, the challenges that For our country to progress and
Nigeria is facing are the same. It seems become a global leader, science
that nothing much has changed all these and progress in scientific
years. We have witnessed rampant advancements are going to play a
development of infrastructure at one end key role. At every turn we have to
and enormous industrial growth at the seek its aid for development and
other, but challenges remain the same. progress in frontier areas.
We have grown in number and have
hungry mouths to feed. Children are
dying of malnutrition, newer diseases
are emerging like monsters that are caught but open their wings again as new morphs that are difficult
to contain. We see newer pests and pathogens emerging from somewhere but there are no super heroes
to curb their menace. It has become difficult to control epidemics. People have developed resistance to
antibiotics that were once considered to be the magic drugs to control infection. Neurodegenerative
diseases such as Parkinsons, Alziemers are on the rise and are no longer age related. Of late, many
young people have been reported to suffer from these diseases. Environmental pollution is a menace.
Air quality in all major cities is considered to be bad and bronchial asthma is taking its toll on the
young and old. Therefore, the situation is not all that good on many other fronts as well. People are
again looking at science and only science to come to the rescue and help the sustenance of human
population.

Who indeed could afford to ignore science today? Good enough, the theme for this year's National
Science Day is, “Science for the people and the people for Science”. This means that everyone should
embrace the value of science in today's contemporary Nigeria. For our country to progress and
become a global leader, science and progress in scientific advancements are going to play a key role.
At every turn we have to seek its aid for development and progress in frontier areas.
It is science that is going to tackle the problem of food insecurity by providing alternative materials
and developing new plants with novel traits that can increase the nutrient quality as well as yield of
food crops. It is science only that can help us evolve sustainable natural resource management
techniques by which we can preserve our resources for eternity. It is the science only that can look at
targeted drug delivery so that the medicines can work faster on patients without side effects.
Science has many more things to offer for our country to become a global super power. It is offering
the use of alternate energy sources for industries so that the development continues without any
harmful impact on environment. The progress in science can help in population control and poverty
eradication. Science has the capacity to offer newer avenues and sources of livelihood so that the
younger generation is satisfied. Science is actually the magic wand that can transform Nigeria into
what every Nigerian wishes it to be.

Mr. Arinze Enekwechi.
H.O.D. Science Department.

031