THE Federal Government has inaugurated a 21-member committee to oversee and monitor the implementation of the N3billion National Research Fund being administered by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.
Executive Secretary of TETFund, Dr Abdullahi Bichi Baffa, who inaugurated the committee, chaired by Professor Olugbemi Bamiro and another committee; Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Book Development in Abuja, decried the poor quality of research proposals by some tertiary institution lecturers.
He said the National Research Fund is a deliberate intervention to promote the evolution of a knowledge-based, globally-competitive, research and development-driven socio-economic process in Nigeria.
Baffa, also said that the research fund was introduced to help resuscitate research activities in the nation’s public tertiary institutions.
He disclosed that since the establishment of the NRF in 2009 with a seed fund of N3billion, about N1.72 billion had so far been disbursed to finance researches in different thematic areas.
He said that an additional N1 billion was allocated in 2016 to increase the research intervention fund. “One key concerns of TETFund in respect of the implementation of this intervention is quality of research proposals that are being submitted by applicants,” he said.
“The National Research Fund was introduced to help resuscitate research activities in the nation’s public tertiary institutions so as to help scholars meet up with the requirement of their calling, which is teaching, research and community service.
“Conducting quality research in our public tertiary institutions will not only engender national growth, but will also raise the standard and the global competitiveness of Nigeria’s education system,” Dr Baffa added.
He said that membership of the committee had been reduced from over 80 members to 21 member, which consisted of six vice chancellors, three rectors, three provosts representing National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and representatives of staff unions of the various institutions.