From Isaac Job, Uyo
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi (FUTIA), Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Leo Daniel, has urged International Oil Companies (IOCs) to finance research in Nigerian universities to accelerate technological development in the country.
He also encouraged scholars to advance the course of development through research and inventive journals and tasked IOCs and other multinationals to partner with tertiary institutions in the training and retraining of the manpower needed to drive different sectors of the nation’s economy.
Delivering the maiden public lecture of the institution titled “Writing Papers for Publication, Proposal, and Presentation – A Question of Lifestyle?”, Daniel disclosed that nations around the world, including Nigeria, expect tertiary institutions to champion research, drive academic excellence, and offer innovative solutions to some of the nation’s challenges, with a view to achieving sustainable development in line with the mandates that established these institutions.
Daniel, a renowned expert in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering in Nigeria, outlined major time-tested steps that scholars should apply in their writing for publications, proposals, and presentations.
He mentioned the literature review as one of the basic components of writing for academic purposes and emphasised the need for scholars, scientists, and researchers to seek broader reviews of related literature in their chosen areas of research.
He further emphasised the need for scholars to conduct in-depth research in order to understand the empirical, societal, and fundamental problems they seek to solve, using the appropriate research tools applicable to their academic domain.
“Writing research papers is one of the arts in academic environments, and the results of perfect research will contribute to sustainable national development, which is one of the hallmarks of university education.
“In this regard, academic staff of the institution and other tertiary institutions globally should make it a lifestyle by learning, re-learning, and unlearning the arts of writing papers for the significant purposes of publication, proposal, and presentation.
“Writing for those purposes, including grants, should be a lifestyle and culture in the academic environment, as it will help in the training of students and the promotion of academic standards.”
Daniel charged scholars, tertiary institutions, and research institutes to identify critical problems facing different industries and the nation, with a view to finding sustainable solutions, including access to grants and funding that will promote their research, teaching, and student learning.
He commended the federal government for investing in the education sector through interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and appealed for more budgetary provisions for the sector.
The Vice Chancellor also used the occasion to express the commitment of the Federal University of Technology, Ikot Abasi, to using innovation to drive transformation.