Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, has called on teachers teaching in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the Northeast to be conducting noble researches and innovations for the overall development of the region and Nigeria as a whole.
Professor Sulaiman Bogoro, the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, stated this on Wednesday while declaring open a five-day workshop at Command Guest House Bauchi.
Professor Bogor who was represented by Dr Dan’azumi Ibrahim, said that the workshop was designed to enhance the capacity of tertiary institutions’ teachers in the Northeast on grant-winning research proposals writing skills.
He said that the region is left behind in terms of producing quality research and coming up with life-changing innovations when compared to other regions of the country.
“Let all participants take part actively in the workshop to build their knowledge of research writing proposals that can win grants to help solve practical problems,” he said.
The Executive Secretary said that the bottom line of the workshop is not just to empower lectures in the Northeast with excellent proposal writing skills and techniques to win grants but also contribute to the growth and development of the region and Nigeria through knowledge-based approach.
Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawabalewa University Bauchi, the hosting university, Professor A.M. Abdulazeez, said, “the workshop is about the lifeline activities of universities which are research and teaching. When you look at Nigeria, the universities are not far from the actual realities.
“What we are is trying to see how we can do research to bring about development.”
The Vice-Chancellor said that the University has done a lot to come up with an animal farm to produce dry products locally and save Nigeria millions of dollars going into the importation of dry products every year.
Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu, who is also an alumnus of ATBU, commended TETFUND for its grand contributions towards development of research and innovations in Nigeria.
The Emir who was represented by Galadiman Bauchi, Surveyor Sa’idu Ibrahim Jahun, said that what Nigeria needs at the moment is research and innovations to harness resources for economic growth and national development.
Also speaking, Commandant Nigerian Army Armoured School Bauchi, Brigadier General S.P Akpan said that the Army is not only engaged in physical warfare but also research to develop tools for the effective execution of its task for safeguarding the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
The Commandant who was represented by Brigadier General T. Isa said that the engineering corps of the Nigerian Army is in serious research to come up with innovations to produce, improve and maintain new and old military tools.
