Covenant University stands out among Nigerian institutions involved in research and development and indeed consistently gives the nation something to cheer about in this area, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has declared.
A Deputy Director at the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Mr Emeka Orji, gave this accolade on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, when he led a team from the TETFUND Standing Committee on Engineering, Technology and Material Science Thematic Working Group (ETM TWG) on a visit to the Management of Covenant. The three-man visiting team also featured Dr Yakubu Ibrahim and Mr Josiah David Emmanuel.
While stating the purpose of their visit to Covenant, Mr Orji, who represented the Director-General, NOTAP, Dr Dan Azumi Ibrahim, said that TETFUND was desirous of fostering a harmonious relationship among tertiary institutions in Nigeria in terms of research and development and commercialization of products.
Nigeria, he stated had made lots of efforts toward technological advancement through several approaches. TETFUND, he said, had tried to intervene by funding research and identifying with research institutions in the country. "We want to ensure cohesion among research institutions in Nigeria. Until this is achieved, we'll continue to flounder," he remarked.
Mr Orji noted that Covenant had excelled in Engineering, Technology and Material Science, which are the central focus of his committee. He added that TEFUND was interested in having other institutions to replicate what was happening in Covenant in their campuses.
In his comments, the Dean, College of Engineering, Professor David Omole, said that since the country was about coming up with a national research foundation, proponents of the idea should consider putting in place a relevant policy to ensure an enabling environment that would enhance the rating of researchers.
The Director, Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation, and Discovery (CUCRID), Professor Emeka Iweala, who reeled out the centre's exploits, said that it had 24 registered patent rights and ten (10) were being processed. He stated that, Covenant had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a company to market some of the patented products.
Professor Iweala noted that Covenant had been winning laurels at exhibitions, locally and internationally. "Covenant University supports publications and conference attendance. The University has 31 recognized research clusters, with each of the clusters addressing a subject in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Also, Covenant has a robust industry partnership, and there is a collaboration with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria," he explained.
The Vice-Chancellor Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, in his remarks, said that the University derived her inspiration from God who is the founder and funder of the institution.
He stated that Covenant had a robust governance structure initiated by the Board of Regents (the University's apex decision-making body) ably led by the Chancellor, Dr David O. Oyedepo. "Our Chancellor is an inspirational leader who'll ensure he drives the vision of Covenant into reality," he asserted.
Professor Adebayo averred that the government had given little value to Research and Development. While noting that research centres in the country provided little compared to those in developed nations, he added that the research centres in the developed nations made significant contributions to the academic development of such nations.
"These well-developed research centres contribute to the development of the industries in those nations at the expense of their governments because their governments drive value. Little wonder why they are ahead of us," said the Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Adebayo said that Covenant University was in the right direction in bridging the gap between the industry and the academia. He, however, maintained that so much more could be done if the government played its part in adding value to research and development.