TETFund, ATBU Train Lecturers, Heads of North-East Institutions

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, have organised a training workshop for lecturers and heads of tertiary institutions in the North-East on grant-writing skills.

President Muhammadu Buhari recently approved the increase of the National Research Fund (NRF), domiciled in TETFund from N5 billion to N7.5 billion in 2020.

Declaring open the five-day workshop held at the Command Guest House, Bauch, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, lamented the poor performance of north-east tertiary institution lecturers in writing grant proposals for research.

The TETFund boss, represented by the DG National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, Dr. Danlami Ibrahim Mohammed, said, “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 the economy.”

He added, “It’s 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 that complacency could destroy our rating and ranking. And that is precisely why we called this meeting.”

He urged the participants to rise to the occasion by coming up with the most recognised and acceptable research and grant proposals that the North-East can benefit from.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor of ATBU, Prof. Mohammed Abdulazeez, stated that the university is working assiduously to contribute its quota in proffering solutions to Nigeria’s problems.

“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. One of the things that we are doing is that we have gotten a centre of excellence on the diary in ATBU,” said Abdulazeez. “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.”

Abdulazeez also thanked Bogoro for organising the workshop, noting that research and development will bring development and stability to the nation.