Worried by the dearth of meaningful researches in Nigerian Universities which has retarded discoveries of new developments, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro, has disclosed that funds to enhance national research in the country has been increased from N5 billion in 2019 to N7.5 billion in the 2020 budget in order to boost academic research activities in all tertiary institutions.
Bogoro disclosed this while addressing the Senate of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, on Tuesday at the Gubi campus, during a special Senate sitting called at the instance of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Muhammad Abdulazeez.
The TETFund scribe explained that the increase in the funds for national research was informed by TETFund’s new focus on the content component in tertiary institutions.
While stating that while successes have been recorded in the area of provision of infrastructure in tertiary institutions all over the country, TETFund will now focus more attention on research activities to facilitate economic growth.
He said that: “Since my return, one of the things l took to my Board of Trustees was yes we will improve on infrastructure but we will focus more on the content, research, academic staff development, book and manuscript development, journal publications, library development.”
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The TETFund Executive secretary also disclosed that he signed 128 National Research grants for some Nigeria universities and observed disturbing disparity with the University of Lagos having 14, Bayero University Kano having 11 respectively.
He lamented that universities in the North-East region came short of accessing grants for research as only ATBU, Bauchi (two) and University of Maiduguri (one) accessed grants respectively.
He, therefore, challenged universities in the northeast to multiply the number of their research grants saying this can only be done with proper academic leadership among professors and their students.
“People should not undertake research for the sake of certifications or promotion alone but research should be tailored to solve problems and meet the needs of the international community. It will not make miracles for the situation to change overnight. We need to change our attitude. The competitiveness of economic powers is based on research products,” he said.
While welcoming the TETFund scribe to the special Senate sitting earlier, the ATBU VC Professor Muhammad Abdulaziz, said that he was delighted to invite Professor Bogoro to inaugurate N5bn projects in the university.
Professor Abdulaziz outlined the projects to include Central Laboratory, College of Medicine Complex, at the Gubi Campus of the institutions.
Other TETFund projects inaugurated by Bogoro whom the VC described as the initiator, was the Centre for Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship Development at the Tafawa Balewa campus in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The projects, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed, were worth N4.9 billion, saying the impact of the project on the rating of the university is immeasurable.
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