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Chairman of the reconstituted TETFund National Research Fair and Exhibition Committee, Umar Bindir, has pledged that the committee will work tirelessly to ensure that research outputs from Nigerian institutions are transformed into commercially viable products capable of creating jobs, reducing poverty and driving national development.
Speaking on behalf of members shortly after the committee’s inauguration in Abuja, Bindir commended the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, for what he described as an innovative approach to promoting research commercialisation through the composition of the committee.
He said the inclusion of researchers, captains of industry, inventors, policymakers and members of the organised private sector reflected a deliberate strategy to bridge the long-standing disconnect between knowledge generation and industrial application.
“It is heartwarming to listen to the executive secretary outline the responsibilities of this committee and the calibre of its membership. The composition itself is an innovation because it brings together those who generate knowledge, those who understand industry and those who make policy decisions,” he said.
According to him, Echono has consistently expressed concern over the weak linkage between Nigeria’s growing academic achievements and the country’s socio-economic realities.
He noted that while Nigerian universities continue to produce professors, research publications and technological innovations, poverty has continued to rise, a situation he described as unacceptable.
“The executive secretary has repeatedly said that the gap between knowledge generation and societal impact (the valley of death) must be bridged. Research must no longer end on library shelves, it must become products, industries and businesses that improve people’s lives,” Umar stated.
He observed that several organisations, including the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, universities and the Association of Nigerian Inventors, have over the years organised technology fairs and innovation expos.
“However, many of those initiatives lacked measurable evidence of sustained commercial impact. What distinguished TETFund’s initiative is the deliberate decision to bring the private sector into the centre of the process, allowing industry players to identify technologies with commercial potential and work with researchers to move them into the marketplace,” he explained.
He described the strategy as a significant departure from previous approaches and commended Echono for providing the leadership required to drive the initiative.
Bindir, while accepting the assignment on behalf of committee members, assured the TETFund management that they would spare no effort in delivering a successful 2026 National Research Fair and Exhibition.
“We subscribe to every word contained in the Executive Secretary’s charge. We will leave no stone unturned, in fact, we will remove the stones completely, to ensure that we achieve the objectives of this committee,” he pledged.
He also acknowledged the support provided by members of the committee during the maiden edition of the exhibition, particularly in leveraging digital technology to coordinate meetings and ensure effective communication among members.
Bindir expressed confidence that, with the active participation of researchers, industry leaders, inventors and other stakeholders, the 2026 edition of the National Research Fair and Exhibition would further strengthen the commercialisation of research and position innovation as a major driver of Nigeria’s economic transformation.
