He stated this at the opening ceremony of the 19th meeting of the National Council on Science Technology and Innovation, in Abuja. Abdullahi noted that despite previous gains, Nigeria’s ranking on the global innovation index 2021 still remained low, attributing it to lack of data on the country’s activities in the innovation space. He said data from relevant institutions did not address the challenges, just as inventions and innovations had not been adequately captured, despite our achievements. Abdullahi however identified funding as one of the major challenges facing the Science, Technology and Innovation sector in developing countries such as Nigeria. Governor Babajide Sanwolu of Lagos state, in a goodwill message, said that funding of research and development must be sustained to boost Science Technology and Innovation.