Square One

This is an article from Nature about how the recession has dampened donor enthusiasm for scientific research in Africa and here is an excerpt about Nigeria:

Countries that don’t depend on aid are also struggling. In Nigeria, the drop in demand for oil and gas, exacerbated by a stricken banking sector, means that private donations — a major source of funding for Nigerian universities — are slowing. “In the past, a conference like this would have a lot of Nigerians coming, supported by industry grants. We don’t find many today,” says Oye Ibidapo-Obe, president of the Nigerian Academy of Science in Lagos. Nigeria’s government won’t pick up the slack left by the drop in private investments, Ibidapo-Obe adds. “Research is not seen as the major driver of the economy.”

I am not sure where Nature got these assertions from, or why Oye Ibidapo-Obe said what he is quoted to have said, but this certainly reeks of falsehood. Someone is either making up stories to mislead Nature, or Nature itself is doing the  embellishment. Nigerian banking sector, and industry grants being a major source of funding for Nigerian universities? This is just so false.