Tinubu asks Senate to establish central national research fund

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted the National Research and Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2026, to the Senate for consideration and passage, according to a letter read during plenary on Tuesday. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the chamber would expedite consideration of the proposal. The bill seeks to bring research and development funding currently spread across ministries, departments and agencies into a single national mechanism.

In the letter, Tinubu said the proposed fund would improve the efficiency of research financing and ensure that resources were directed towards strategic national priorities. It would provide a central funding route for research agencies and academic institutions. The President also said the fund would operate as a competitive financing mechanism designed to encourage collaboration among research agencies, universities and private companies.

He said the legislation had been reviewed by the Ministries of Education, Innovation, Science and Technology, and Justice. Under the proposal, the fund would be established as an agency supervised by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. Tinubu’s letter said it would receive direct funding from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.

The President argued that the proliferation of research institutions, each with separate mandates and budgetary allocations, had made it necessary to improve the management of resources available for science, technology and innovation. He urged the Senate to consider and pass the bill expeditiously. The proposal will now require legislative consideration before it can become law.