Prof. Mohammed Abdulazeez, Vice Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, says the university has established a Dairy Centre of Excellence, as part of efforts to proffer solution to the security challenges in the country.
Abdulazeez stated this at a five-day Grant Winning Workshop for Tertiary Institutions in the North-East, organised by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), on Wednesday in Bauchi.
He said the institution had found it incumbent upon itself to proffer solutions to some of the problems in the country and the issue of insecurity was the first in the list.
“ATBU is trying to solve issues, one of such issues is the insecurity in the country.
“People don’t even look at it and I think as a university, we are supposed to find solutions to this issue and one of the things we are doing is that we have gotten a centre of excellence on dairy in ATBU.
“Our target is to show to our brothers that the best way to keep your cattle is to keep it around your house, feed it well and you will find out that you don’t have to move around.
“The sense in it is that the more you move, the more you lose energy whilst the more you stay in one place, the more you grow fatter and we all want our cows to grow fatter to give higher production of milk,” he said.
According to him, the university is also working to address the social standard and procurement issues, adding that the university through research and development would develop a science park.
“We have also gotten a centre of excellence in addressing social standard and procurement issues in the country.
“These are two issues that are fundamental in the survival of this country and when our social standard and procurement issues have been solved, we will go a long way,” he said.
Abdulazeez appreciated the Executive Secretary of the Fund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro for organising the workshop.
According to him, research and development will bring a lot of developments, stability and a sense of belonging to the Nigeria universities and academics in the North-East.
In his remarks, Bogoro, said that the level of performances of the North-East in area of research, grant writing application and success had been so discouraging, hence, the workshop to change the trend.
“For too long, we academics have been operating in our silos, clapping with one hand. That is unacceptable.
“No wonder we are not getting the outcome of research that solves problems of the society of technology and economy.
“Precisely, why our universities have failed to rise to the level of respectability that has been associated with the most competitive economics and the greatest of civilisations.
“This has to change. I am not happy about the performance of the North-East in respect of research, grant writing application and success.
“It’s for that reason we agreed from TETFund and we spoke with the VCs of ATBU, ABU, UNN and University of Benin that complacency can not destroy our rating and ranking, precisely why we call this meeting,” he said.
Bogoro, however, urged the participants to rise up to the occasion by coming up with the most recognised and acceptable research and grant proposals, to enable schools from the North-East to benefit more from the Fund.
