Gom Mirian
An ad hoc committee tasked with the establishment of central multipurpose laboratories in selected universities has been inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono.
The laboratories are to provide necessary infrastructure to aid research within universities across the country.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the ceremony, Echono noted that the initiative forms part of TETFund’s efforts to provide relevant infrastructure that supports research and development in Nigeria.
He also disclosed that the agency has been deploying billions of naira to fund research programmes and projects to deepen the iinstitutionalisation of research and development to tackle national challenges but not meeting targets because of unforeseen issues.
“You will recall that the Fund has so far awarded a total of seven hundred and twenty-seven (727) research grants to researchers from public tertiary institutions at the cost of over N18 billion under the National Research Fund (NRF) to undertake applied research in various academic disciplines,” he stated.
Furthermore, the Executive Secretary explained that “it was observed that some of these scholars who have benefited from the NRF grants have often requested that, completing the execution of the Research Projects may require them to cross international borders to access certain facilities/equipment due to lack of requisite research facilities in their institutions.
“In some cases, these tend to affect the financial burden associated with the research projects, coupled with time expended for travelling,” Echono said while emphasising the need for the centraql multipurpose libraries.
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Emeritus Professor Olufemi Bamiro, who is the chairperson of the committee expressed the readiness of the team to deliver on the assigned task.
“This will surely go a long way in rejuvenating research and training in research in our nation-state,” he stated.
