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Participants at the TetFUND, ATBU grant proposal writing workshop in Bauchi
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
The Vice Chancellor, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Prof. Mohammed Abdulazeez, has stated that the University is working assiduously to contribute its quota to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s problems particularly in the area of technology development.
The VC said that, “Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is trying to solve issues. One of the issues is the insecurities of this country. People don’t even look at it, and I think as a university, we are supposed to find solutions to this issue”.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a 5 days workshop on effective writing proposal for research grants, Mohammed Abdulaziz said that, “and one of the things that we are doing is that we have gotten a centre of excellence on diary in ATBU. Our target is to show to our brothers that the best way to keep our cattle is to keep it around our houses, feed it well and you will find out that you don’t have to move around”.
According to him, “The sense in it is that the more you move, the more you lose energy, the more you stay in one place, the more you grow fatter. We all want our cows to grow fatter to give higher production of milk,”.
He also said that, “The university through research and development is trying to develop a science park. We have also gotten a centre of excellence in addressing social standard and procurement issues in this 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, it will help us to go a long way” he said
Mohammed Abdulazeez also appreciated the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Professor Suleiman Bogoro for organizing the workshop, noting that research and development will bring development and stability to the nation.
Worried by the dearth of quality and effective proposals for assessing research grants by tertiary institutions in the North-East subregion which has set institutions in the area back, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in collaboration with the Management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) , Bauchi has organized a training workshop for lecturers of Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of education and heads of Tertiary institutions from the zone on grant-writing skills in order for them to be able to access grants for their research.
While declaring the workshop opened on Wednesday, Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Professor Elias Suleiman Bogoro decried the low level performance of North-East tertiary institution lecturers in the area of writing quality grant proposals for researches which will develop them on their various academic fields.
The TETFUND Scribe also said that the pattern was not encouraging, hence, the need for the workshop to train North-East higher institution lecturers on how to write Grant Winning Proposal the way and manner it is done the world over.
Suleiman Bogoro said that, “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 of economy” .
Represented by the Director General, National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), the TetFUND ES said that, “That is 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 civilizations. This has to change. I’m not happy about the performance of the North-east in respect of research and grant writing application”.
He further said that, “It is for this reason that we agreed on this training at TETFUND, and we spoke with the VC of ATBU just as I spoke with the VC of the University of Benin, University of Nigeria Nsukka and ABU Zaria that complacency can destroy our rating and ranking. And that is precisely why we called this meeting,”.
He further urged the participants to rise up to the occasion by coming up with the most recognized and acceptable research and grant proposals that the Northeast can benefit from.
In their separate remarks, the Armed Forces, Government and other stakeholders commended TetFUND and ATBU for organizing the workshop agreeing that it will go a long way in waking up the various higher institutions in the subregion on the need to write research proposal grants that will be considered for implementation.
It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Bihari recently approved the increase of the National Research Fund, (NRF), domicile in TETFUND account, from N5 billion to N7.5 billion in 2020 which has not been optimally accessed by tertiary institutions in the North-East subregion.
