An Open Letter to All Leaders In Nigerian Universities

Dear Nigerian,

I am David whyte John, a software engineer, project manager, and business owner. I
have over 9 years of experience in the technology industry. I have helped many
companies launch great solutions for millions of people globally.

I am unhappy about the state of technology in Nigeria. We are not producing

technology. Today no company or team can develop a kernel/OS for a jet in Nigeria. We
have made no contributions to database systems, distributed systems, internet
technology, etc… We do not have technology experts in Nigeria with the understanding
of core computer science skills needed to build computers from the ground up. We are
not curing diseases, we are not innovating.

The state of research in Nigeria is bad. We are not discovering anything. From
computer science to genetics, physics, engineering, etc... We are not publishing papers
and churning out groundbreaking technology. We're not contributing to the
advancement of technology, we are only buying and consuming.

The unemployment situation in Nigeria is devastating. We do not have enough

companies and so there are not enough jobs. We are not producing cars, where do
automobile engineers work when they graduate? Where do mechanical engineers
work? Where are the robotics companies? We are wasting brilliant minds. We are killing
them. Our society is killing them.

We cannot keep waiting for the government to help. We need to take action now. I am
proposing we start real technology research in Nigeria across all universities. 1Billion
naira quarterly will be used to fund research and startups in Nigerian universities.

Our government has failed, our schools have failed us, our private sector has failed us,
and the banking industry has failed us. It’s your turn. For some reason, I see something
in this generation. I see some hint of hope. I have a feeling these 16 years olds, and
18-year-olds will rise up and do something that their predecessors could not summon
the courage to do.

I am inviting you to the table to lead the technology advancement in Nigeria.

We are focused on electricity, automobiles, computing, artificial intelligence, diseases,
and genetics, to name a few. Please share with other leaders in your universities.
Join the group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BhuSbF9HmMp0JmMZjcuuzU

David w. John,
Kind regards.