The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Abubakar Na’Allah, has insisted that the University system in Nigeria must play its critical role in research and providing solutions to multiple challenges confronting the nation.
He lamented the frequent shutdown of public Institutions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other staff unions, saying Universities are not institutions to be shut down in a day but to function 24 hours in providing knowledge and research for the development of the country.
Na’Allah, spoke, on Wednesday at the University of Abuja First Undergraduate Research Day with the theme, “Promoting National Development Through Research,” where he presented a cheque of N2.2 million to eight students of the University who won research grants from the University’s Centre for Undergraduate Research Fund.
The Centre was established with the aim of encouraging undergraduate students at all levels in the university not only to develop a keen interest in research but also to know Nigeria’s problems and how to resolve them.
He said the university started the centre to catch them young, whereby financial support, mentorship and other necessary support is given to them to succeed.
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The Vice-Chancellor while making a veiled reference to incessant strike actions and consequent disruption of academic activities, especially the recent prolonged ASUU strike, said, Universities are not institutions to be closed down in a day. Funding cannot be enough, institutions have to look inward.
“The problem is that we are not serious. The truth is that all problems have to do with research. When you say Nigeria is not working, there are crises in this nation, why are Universities not researching and bring solutions? Everybody is complaining, our Universities must get to work,” he said.
The VC who stressed the importance of universities in developing nations, said such can only be achieved by investing in the young ones through research, adding that the university under his leadership would continue to spearhead research and development as a tool for national development.
“I want to encourage all universities in Nigeria and I hope that other universities will have centres of undergraduate research.”
He also noted that the university has developed a new journal called the ‘Journal of Undergraduate Research’ which is open only for publication of undergraduate researches.
On her part, director, Centre for Undergraduate Research, Dr Taibat Adebukola Atoyebi said the institution is looking at collaborating with other organizations and industries so as to fund the researches
Speaking on the selection process she said, “We first told the student to express interest that they want to go into this research. After that we scrutinize the topic and see the ones that are researchable, you know not everything is researchable, some topics are just like easy we what something that is empirical, something that is sustainable, that is practical and original.
“So after reading that we called for proposals from the successful candidate, from the shortlisted candidate, so after the proposals were submitted, they are presented both orally and virtually to all of us, because of the COVID-19, if you are unable to make it physically then you can do it virtually.”