…As VC calls for actionable blue-prints from Fair
From Cyriacus Nnaji, Lagos
Senate of Lagos State University (LASU) has concluded arrangement aimed at instituting a N5 million Research grant for cutting edge multidisciplinary researches in the University.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello made the disclosure at the 4th LASU Research and Innovation Fair which is holding at the Makanjuola Lecture Theatre began on Tuesday, 6th September to end on the 7th September, 2022.
She said “We have in last few years intensified effort in research and innovation culminating in the creation of the Directorate of Research Management and Innovation that is organizing this research fair. The Senate of this University is instituting a N5m Research grant for cutting edge multidisciplinary researches in the University.”
Olatunji-Bello said the theme of the two-day event which was “Repositioning the Nigeria University System for Global Relevance and Competitiveness in Learning, Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer” remains apt even today in face of the not too impressive showing of Nigerian Universities in recent global rankings.
She maintained that research would continue to be of paramount importance to the institution with intention to instituting an Intellectual Property Policy for the university. “We want research to maintain its paramount position in Lagos State University as it is expected in every world class institution of Higher learning. Yet, we have a lot to do. We are currently addressing ownership of research outcomes by instituting an Intellectual Property Policy for the university.”
Of critical importance to the Vice Chancellor is ability of the Fair to produce actionable outcomes “My hope is that at the end of the Fair, actionable blue-prints aimed at repositioning the Nigerian University System for economic prosperity and global relevance would be developed especially in these challenging and critical times of global economic melt-down and recession.”
She added that statistics point to an urgent need for repositioning the universities.
The Vice Chancellor while referring to the 2022 webometrics ranking, she said there is no single Nigeria Universities in top 1000 in the world, adding that the highest ranked university is the University of Ibadan at 1207.
She revealed that in the last three to four decades, the Nigerian University System has been saddled with numerous perennial and increasing monumental challenges that include but not limited to poor infrastructural facilities, inadequate funding, brain drain, outdated curriculum and inadequate research facilities, recurrent industrial actions, governance deficits as well as corruption just to mention a few.
The challenges, according to her, have to a large extent incapacitated the Ivory towers and prevented them from effectively delivering on their statutory mandates in the areas of teaching, research, community service and entrepreneurial skills acquisition.
She maintained that these delivery failures have ultimately taken a toll on the global reputation, ranking and relevance of the Nigerian universities in the comity of Institutions in the world. According to the VC, despite the documentation of these monumental challenges and their negative impact and efforts channeled at mitigating the attendant effects on the efficiency of the Nigerian universities, there appears to be no ultimate solutions in sight.
She commended the Lasu Directorate of Research saying “So far, the Directorate of Research is doing a good job at placing LASU on the global research landscape, the result of which has seen some of our researchers winning grants to the tune of thousands of dollars.”
Olatunji-Bello expressed profound appreciation to the Director, Research Management and Innovation, and his team for organizing the fair and urged everyone to take advantage which the fair offered “I urge everyone to take advantage of this fair in demonstration of their commitment to our Vision of becoming the Best University in West Africa.”
Dignitaries at the occasion include the Chairman of the Occasion and Pro-Chancellor, LASU Governing Council, Sir David Sunmoni; the Keynote Speaker & Senior Special Assistant to the President Federal Republic of Nigeria on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Her Excellency Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; two invited speakers: former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Emeritus Prof. Olufemi Adebisi Bamiro, and Pioneer Vice Chancellor, Redeemer’s University, & Immediate Past President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Oyewale Tomori.
Members of the Management were fully present, they were Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Adenike Omotunde Boyo; University Registrar, Mr. Emmanuel Fanu; University Bursar, Mr. Said Babatunde Olayinka and University Librarian, Dr. Emmanuel ‘Layi Adebayo, among other dignitaries.
