…Assures Nigerians of Swift, Effective Implementation
The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN, has emphasised the importance of the effective and timely implementation of the Nigeria–Türkiye Agreement, describing it as critical to national development across multiple sectors.
Dr. Udeh made this known during an appearance on the ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), where he reassured Nigerians of his commitment to ensuring that the agreement moves beyond documentation to tangible action.
According to the minister, the agreement is distinct from previous bilateral engagements that stalled at the signing stage. He explained that a joint implementation committee has already been constituted to drive execution and ensure accountability.
“I discovered there’s a tendency for everybody to get busy, and it’s left at the level of documents and paperwork. To ensure that we take this engagement and the outcome from paper to action, a joint committee was set up involving civil servants. Political leaders are like soldiers; soldiers go, soldiers come, the barracks remain.
“We engaged senior members of staff of the various ministries and agencies who would always be there. There’s a culture in the civil service of transferring paperwork, documentation and responsibility from one officer to another, unlike political leaders that can go and come back at any time.
“So, that joint committee is made up of senior government officials but also civil servants that will take this agreement from paper to implementation, and there’s continuous communication.”
Dr. Udeh also addressed concerns around bureaucratic delays, noting that technology was deliberately adopted to accelerate negotiations and exchanges related to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Türkiye.
“When I was having a conversation with my Turkish counterpart, we resolved that we must take quick action. We understood the urgency of the intervention that we are driving at defence, agriculture, food security, manufacturing, industry, the educational sector and other sectors.
“We understood the urgency and what it will take if we go by bureaucracy that will take months of exchange. Just for the fact that we understood the urgency, we said ‘let’s explore technology’. We mustn’t exchange visits but virtual meeting platforms, and we agreed within two days of interaction.
“We were able to get the first draft of the Science, Technology, Innovation, Investment and Industry Action Plan, and if you noticed, it’s not an agreement but an action plan, meaning we are going beyond agreement to taking action. So, there will be timelines, there will be clear responsibility for what ought to be achieved at each point and who should take action, so that deliverable outcomes would be monitored, and where there’s drawback or weakness, it can immediately be covered.”
Speaking further on the ongoing MoU on the Science and Technology, Innovation, Industry and Investment Action Plan, the minister reiterated that the framework is designed to prioritise implementation and measurable outcomes.
He disclosed that the Turkish counterparts are currently reviewing the document through their legal, justice and foreign affairs ministries, after which feedback will be communicated via diplomatic channels. He added that his technical team remains actively engaged and is awaiting the response.
Dr. Udeh urged Nigerians to anticipate concrete outcomes from the agreement, stressing that the focus remains on action, implementation and long-term sustainability.