Nigerians are very good with technological ideas which is a great thing to celebrate as a nation, says the University of Abuja vice councillor, Prof. Abdul Rasheed Na’Allah.
He stated this during the varsity’s undergraduate research day with the theme – ‘Promoting national development through research’, organized by the faculty of management sciences yesterday, pointing out the need to celebrate great research and commend the country for her great gifts in the area.
He urged the students to toe the path of excellence which, according to him, the nation is known for, saying they should channel their energy into positive gains for the benefit of the nation and the human race at large.
Earlier in her remarks, the director-general of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Victoria Akai commended the students whose research scaled through.
She also gave them kudos for supporting the economy and the country at large while also stating that ACCI was passionate in research development.
Represented by the chamber’s director of BEST Centre, Mrs. Tinuke Temitope, Akai explained that the chamber is a member-founded organization for the promotion of businesses and networking where all activities are carried out through four different centres.
“Nigeria started very well by collaborating with the academia but along the line we lost it; regardless getting it requires a lot of hard work, and in whatever office the students find themselves, they should have the business mentality, because gone at the days where things work out according to plans,” she said.
A statement by the ACCI media/strategy officer, Olayemi John-Mensah, said Dr. Taibat Adebukola Atoyebi of the centre for undergraduate research contended that when researches are done, they should be able to translate to something sustainable for the people.
“There could be other path- ways but the research is the path that is beneficial to the university at large. Before knowledge for research and innovation can succeed there must be a connection with societal needs. We must identify the gaps and think of the solution to the gaps. It is not also enough to identify the gaps but how to pull through irrespective of the department we belong to.
“We need to work the talk. The countries that are said to be developed today made sure education was given a prime position and very well-funded. Functional linkage between education and the society identifies the need of the society and give feedback towards the challenges that have been mapped out,” he added.
