The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) has raised fresh concerns over the increasing migration of researchers and scientists from Nigeria, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the country’s scientific research and development capacity.
The Executive Secretary of NAS, Dr Oladoyin Odubanjo, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while speaking on the outlook for scientific research in 2026.
According to Odubanjo, although the migration of health workers has received more public attention, a significant number of young researchers within Nigeria’s science and technology ecosystem are also leaving the country in search of better career opportunities abroad.
“One of the big areas people are not talking about is the migration of researchers. We know about health workers, but researchers are also leaving. Many of our young researchers are leaving in their numbers to look for career paths, and other countries are taking them away. If we have no people, then there will be no research,” he said.
He noted that the loss of researchers has a direct impact on the nation’s research capacity, stressing that scientific development thrives on collaboration between senior and junior academics.
Despite the growing concern, Odubanjo expressed optimism that recent reforms and improved funding mechanisms could help stabilise the situation.
He pointed to recent policy changes aimed at easing restrictions associated with the Treasury Single Account (TSA), explaining that these could improve access to research grants and enhance productivity.
“Before now, even when researchers got grants, the funds went into the TSA, and accessing the money to buy reagents or go to the field became extremely difficult, especially when approvals were centralised in the Federal Capital Territory,” he explained.
Odubanjo said such delays often stalled fieldwork and data collection, thereby stifling research activities across institutions.
He, however, expressed hope that with improved policies, better funding access and stronger manpower retention strategies, Nigeria’s scientific research sector could experience gradual recovery in the coming year.
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