Don’t Appoint Mediocrities To Varsities’ Governing Councils, FG Warned

–As UNIOSUN, TETFund, Birmingham Varsity Train Researchers On Proposal, Grantsmanship Writing

By Rafiu Agboola, Osogbo

The Nigerian Academy of Letters
President, Prof. Sola Akinrinade yesterday warned the Federal Government against appointing mediocrities to the governing councils of tertiary institutions.

The professor issued the warning at the opening ceremony of the 2-day Pro
posal Writing and Grantsmanship Workshop for Early Career Researchers
at Osun State University
Osogbo (UNIOSUN).

The workshop was organized by the Office of Research and Innovations Management in conjunction with the Univer sity Of Birmingham, the Nigerian Academy of Letters and
TETFund.

Akinrinade said the government must ensure that only those who understand
the system and could add value were appointed.

He said: “The government has a role to play in the appointment of the
governing council, by appointing the right people into the right institutions
and if the governing council is full of mediocrities then there is a problem.

“They can help us by putting the people that are right, people that understand the system and that can add value to the system, not parasites or people that will come and be looking for money.

“The truth is that the university system, polytechnic system and college of education are not places for just anybody to be in the council, but
people with an understanding
of what the needs of our tertiary institutions are”.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Osun State University, Prof Odunayo Clement Adebooye, described research is the engine that drives progress both at national and global scales through policymaking, economic, industrial growth as well as improving standards of living.

Represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Research Innovation and Partnership Prof. Kehinde Adetunji, who expressed gratitude to the conveners and organizers of the workshop said: “I have personally observed the downward trend of research productivity and impact among universities in Africa compared to other continents of the world.

“Our Universities seem to be too much engulfed with graduate output but with decreasing focus and emphacis on research. Though increased manpower production has its role, it must be stressed that research is the engine that drives progress both at national and global scales.

“Investment in research comes with a lot of benefits and advantages. Individual researchers get a lot of fulfilment, reputation and reward from their research outputs. Nations benefit from research through informed policymaking, economic and industrial growth, and improved standards of living; while research leads to collaborative solutions to pandemics and climate change impact, sustainable development, and technological advancements at the global level. Any nation that is poised for development must therefore invest enormously in research.

“As an institution that values research, we have consistently encouraged and supported our scholars for increased capacity building through workshop participation, professional networking, and academic partnerships and collaborations.

“The results of these efforts are evident in the volume of research grants scholars from this University have attracted in the last two years. Some of these grants include the Bill and Mellinda Gates Foundation research grants, European Research Council grants, National Research Fund grants, and a host of others. It is interesting to note that the grants attracted keep increasing on yearly basis. I am sure that in the next couple of weeks, some more will be announced.

“This workshop is particularly important for me and this University two reasons. One, given the array of conveners and resource persons gathered here today, each of whom had at different times won different research grants, wrong perception in some quarters of the academia that research grants are scarce and more difficult to get for scholars in the humanities has started fading out.”

The Conveners , Professor, Olukoya Ogen, Osun State University and Professor, Insa Nolte, University of Birmingham said there are numbers of things to do to ensure success for research proposal to thinks about issues and to be more aware of opportunities, noting that the workshop which was first held in 2011 succeeded in producing eminent scholars who are also into grantsmanship.