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This post is backed by data from a larger body of
work which was a thirty month long investigation into the status of creativity
(and its pertaining concepts), inventive thinking and innovation in Nigeria.
From
a review of historical records, globally the forging of inventions predate the
formalized teaching of creativity as a specific learning goal but there is
absolutely no doubt that all inventions derive directly from increased and
exceptional levels of inventive creativity and higher order creativity skills,
propelled by human imagination, individual initiative and creativity. Research
has established invention as the oldest record we have of the creative mind at
work which also represents a fresh, exciting, and enormously productive arena
of social development.
After
I have gone through 70 years of creativity and innovation research, I have come
to the conclusion that the primary reason Nigerians are not inventing
frequently is that we are yet to develop the culture of problem solving and
inventive thinking. Since the invention of fire (control of fire), writing,
housing, agriculture and paper, mankind has invented machines, means and
methods which have impacted global livelihoods and fortunes. There are numerous
lists of the most important inventions and innovations which have most affected
mankind compiled by several writers for several periods of human history.
Whatever inventions make up the composition of any list is not as material as
the fact that man has invested his creativity and innate ability to create
devices that improve and facilitate his livelihood to great advantage. Teaching
creativity as a specific learning goal and inculcating creativity and its
pertaining concepts into the national curriculum is one feasible option of
effectively tackling the problem of Nigeria simply not innovating enough.
Please I would never try to be simplistic over
what ordinarily is a grievous national incapacitation. So I am not suggesting, by
any stretch of the imagination, that once we developed the culture of problem
solving and inventive thinking then people would automatically start breaking
out with feasible ideas all over the place.
Nonetheless there are various critical issues to
be overcome. Some eminently qualified writers have treated some of these
concerns and hurdles in detail. So I would provide references further down the
line rather than repeat these same details.
However I do wish that despite of these concerns
and hurdles people would look beyond to the possibilities and potential. We
need to try no matter the obstacles.
Now I want to motivate you even further: SOME NIGERIANS
HAVE DONE IT; SOME EVEN IN NIGERIA AND OTHERS OUTSIDE NIGERIA.
These examples were people who looked beyond
obstacles and laid hold of the desire and determination to exploit the
possibilities and potential.
I am personally excited by all these people and
their accomplishments; each is the product of perseverance and dedication.
I
am sure you now know this is serious stuff; I am not talking about “street
inventors” for my thoughts on Nigeria’s army of “street inventors” (CLICK HERE).
From the foregoing opening thoughts, I have three
compelling and a couple of tangential reasons for writing this blog post.
The first reason is contribute toward a
systematic fostering and democratization of the uptake of inventive thinking,
inventive thinking skills and problem solving-based learning projects which
should culminate in invention-focus outcomes.
In
the United States of America, between 2002 and 2004, the Lemelson-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Programme and the National Science
Foundation (NSF) sponsored the Committee for Study of Invention to conduct a year-long
of invention from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The findings of the study
were presented in the report, INVENTION Enhancing inventiveness for
quality of life, competitiveness, and sustainability.
One
of the key findings of the study in terms of effect of education (formal) and
other sources of learning on invention is as follows:
The
process of invention and the traits of the inventive mind can be enhanced by
education and fostered by appropriate societal support. These same outcomes can
also be undercut by the educational system—something that is all too common
today. The key question is which role—enabler or barrier—will be the dominant
role for education in the years to come?
The cultivation of inventiveness can be pursued at
many levels and in different settings. In formal education, every student
deserves the opportunity to learn more about the nature of invention and to
acquire some simple basic skills and generative attitudes. Students with a
particular flair and inclination toward invention merit occasions to learn more
and advance further. However, formal education is by no means the only context
for the development of inventiveness. In any group—from classrooms to clubs to corporations—patterns
of practice and institutional cultures can favor or discourage the development
of inventiveness. How can schools, universities, and informal educational
settings systematically address the many tensions and dilemmas around fostering
inventiveness?
I am keen on Nigeria pursuing the cultivation of
inventiveness in whatever available platform whether formal, non-formal or
informal learning platforms.
Nigeria sorely needs for the activity of
inventing to take root and take off, explosively. Even with the very low levels
of industrialization and dwindling number of corporate bodies particularly
companies which are able to pay higher premium on certain patents, Nigeria is
still a virgin market! There exists a surfeit of knotty challenges to keep
committed inventors (I am including social innovators in this cadre) would be
very busy.
The second reason is to send a clear message that
there is a career to be made out of inventing and there are opportunities to
achieve financial security through inventing. By this post I wish to expatiate
that there is great prospects of self-fulfillment as well as financial
profitability in the course of inventing. In plain speaking, you can achieve
worthy accomplishment and make yourself lots of money from inventing something
people REALLY need!
The third reason is that I wish to confront
Nigeria’s rabid consumerist inclination, entrenched within its various and
variegated subcultures. This prevalence is a fundamental cultural cog; there
ought to a shift toward contributing, out of a moral imperative. The
consumerist culture, wherever they be found and founded, never properly
develops, evolves.
As an aside I would like to motivate those
Nigerians who are already further along the path in the uptake of inventing as
either professionals or ordinary hobbyists.
Somewhere in my subconscious I know I am also doing
this post is to encourage Nigerians who may have been troubled by so-called
“inventions” which later turn out to be duds, adding to the burden of the
stigma already encumbering the country’s image abroad.
I would like not to become embroiled in any
controversies here. I wish to avoid calling out people on this platform (But I
must confess some Nigerians both young and old have made BOGUS inventions).
Nonetheless let these people not steal the limelight of this post; now I want
to encourage people to pursue genuine inventions and not engage in dodgy
scams.
That said, I have written a number of posts
around the subject of invention and inventing within the past couple of months.
The writing had started a bit precipitately, with
a national newspaper which published an editorial which alluded to low levels
of inventiveness in Nigeria. See this first post here (CLICK HERE).
But what is inventing and inventions all about?
Just for us all to be on the same page so to speak.
In
the book Creativity In Business, the
author wrote,
"Invention
is an act of creativity that results in a device, process, or technique novel
enough to produce a significant change in the application of technology. The
application is fundamental to invention. The element of novelty has various
forms; it may be a new device or process, or even material, but it may also
consist of a combination of existing knowledge in a manner not previously
considered. For example, James Watt added a separate condensing chamber – a new
device – to Thomas Newcomen’s atmospheric engine and created the steam engine.
Invention
can occur across disparate fields from science and technology to the arts and
culture.
In the introduction to the book Ecologies of Invention, the editors
noted,
"Whatever
the discipline, for invention to take place, it must be located within the
mutating complex interrelationship of culture, technology and science. Within
this important axis of human creativity, curiosity, scientific, and
technological pursuit, the arts do play a role of considerable importance.
Invention, contrary to public perception, does figure in the humanities and the
creative arts as much as it does elsewhere in the sciences. This is becoming
clearer by the day."
The 2016 Encyclopaedia describes invention as:
An invention is a unique
or novel device, method, composition or process. The invention process is a
process within an overall engineering and product development process. It may
be an improvement upon a machine or product, or a new process for creating an
object or a result. An invention that achieves a completely unique function or
result may be a radical breakthrough. Such works are novel and not obvious to others
skilled in the same field. An inventor may be taking a big step in success or
failure.
Some inventions can be
patented. A patent legally protects the intellectual property rights of the
inventor and legally recognizes that a claimed invention is actually an
invention. The rules and requirements for patenting an invention vary from
country to country, and the process of obtaining a patent is often expensive.
Another meaning of
invention is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social
behaviours adopted by people and passed on to others. The Institute for Social
Inventions collected many such ideas in magazines and books. Invention is also
an important component of artistic and design creativity. Inventions often
extend the boundaries of human knowledge, experience or capability.
What is the purpose of invention?
An invention can serve many purposes. These
purposes might differ significantly and may change over time. An invention, or
a further-developed version of it, may serve purposes never envisioned by its
original inventor(s) or by others living at the time of its original invention.
As an example, consider all the kinds of plastic developed, their many uses,
and the significant growth this material invention is still undergoing.
In what ways and by what means can somebody
invent?
The idea for an invention may be developed on
paper or on a computer, by writing or drawing, by trial and error, by making
models, by experimenting, by testing and/or by making the invention in its
whole form. Brainstorming also can spark new ideas for an invention.
Collaborative creative processes are frequently used by engineers, designers,
architects and scientists. Co-inventors are frequently named on patents.
There are steps to be taken before you can go
about the activity and the process of inventing. I had preempted this in this
post (CLICK HERE).
It is of utmost important that the activity and
the process of inventing be preceded by desire and commitment.
What I hope this would mean to you is that you
would not finish reading these posts and become a successful inventor except
you had had a desire to convert your knowledge to a solution to tackle a
familiar problem and you have become determine to do what you can imagine.
Let me say that I have this issue about the
stories of Nigerian inventors; some of these stories are rather obscure and
inaccessible because nobody is noting these exemplars in detail, recording the
stories to inspire other people. NOBODY IS TELLING THE STORY OF NIGERIAN
INVENTORS IN A SYSTEMATIC AND PURPOSEFUL MANNER OTHER THAN FOR THE NEWS
HEADLINES.
From the outset let me acquaint you with words
and terms we would be referring to throughout the length of this post and,
hopefully, beyond as you take up the challenge.
To encourage the creation of valuable ideas, and
protect them from being stolen, the Nigerian as well as the international legal
system developed the concept of intellectual property.
The four key classes of intellectual property
are:
Patent: A grant
issued by the federal government giving an inventor the right to exclude others
from making, having made, using, leasing, offering to sell, selling, or
importing an invention in the country. A patent, however, does not necessarily
guarantee inventors the right to make, use or sell their inventions; in some
cases, utilizing a patented invention depends on another person's prior,
unexplored patent. Violating patent rights is known as infringement and can be
litigated. Patent infringement occurs when one violates each element of at
least one claim in a patent.
Trademark/™®: A non-functional word, logo,
slogan, symbol, design—or any combination of these—that distinguishes a product
or service. Essentially brand names, trademarks promote competition by giving products
corporate identity and marketing leverage. Trademarks do not need to be
registered, but federal registration can help to protect the mark legally.
Copyright/©: A right
that protects original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of
expression. Copyrights can include published and unpublished works—literary,
dramatic, musical and dance compositions, films, photographs, audiovisual
works, paintings, sculpture, and other visual works of art, as well as computer
programs—from being copied. Copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the
ideas themselves, and gives their authors exclusive rights to reproduce the
copyrighted material.
Trade
Secret: A formula, pattern, manufacturing process, method of doing business,
or technical know-how that gives its holder a competitive advantage. Trade
secrets cover a wide spectrum of information, including chemical compounds,
machine patterns, customer lists and software. No federal law protecting trade
secrets exists; legal definitions vary from state to state so inventors should
make careful note of the requirements depending on the location.
Now we would further
expatiate the term "patent" later but this above should suffice for
now.
There are two sections of
NAIJAGRAPHITTI BLOG which would provide support to inventors in Nigeria. One is
THE INVENTOR’S CORNER (CLICK HERE) and the other is INTELLECTUALL PROPERTY FROM A NIGERIAN
PERSPECTIVE (CLICK HERE).
Let us not rush ourselves
and let us not rush into anything.
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