“Good research enhances the reputation of individuals, it also does for the University and the nation at large. Countries that get it right invest so much in research and this propels them for the greater development that we have seen in the Western world.”
The foregoing submission came from the Vice-Chancellor Olabisi Onabanjo University [OOU], Ago-Iwoye, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde, while underscoring the significance of quality research for lecturers. The Vice-Chancellor, who charged Academic staff to brace up and equip themselves with requisite skills to successfully access funding for their research bids, also called for adequate investment in research to stimulate national development.
Prof. Olatunde made this known at a Workshop on Proposal Writing on Accessing Research Grants, which was organised recently by the Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance. The event, which attracted distinguished scholars, eminent personalities, staff and members of the University Community, was held inside the Senate Chamber, Main Campus, Ago-Iwoye.
In his opening address, the Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Deji Agboola, identified research as a crucial and significant requirement in the promotion of academic excellence and the ranking of any University. He noted that as a result of the importance of research and its attendant competitiveness, many Universities have invested in the training of their academics on methods of writing proposals in accessing research grants.
He said, “There is no gainsaying the fact that all Universities carry out research as individual’s research outputs play significant roles in his or her promotion. However, there is also the place of competition and rivalry in research, particularly when it comes to accessing grants provided by national and international bodies.
“It is for this reason that Universities invest in the
training of their academics in methods of writing
proposals in accessing research grants.”
Prof. Olatunde commended the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba
(Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, for sponsoring the workshop to
sharpen the skills and boost the capacity of lecturers in
the University. The Vice-Chancellor, who acknowledged the
Awujale for instituting over N3billion investment in the
University, enjoined the elites and wealthy citizens to
emulate the traditional ruler.
His words: “The Awujale has been greatly concerned
about the challenge of development in this country which
has been orchestrated by governance crisis. As a man who
has seen it all, he reflected on how good governance had
greatly enhanced development in the old Western Region
which made it a model not only for Nigeria but Africa at
large.
Oba Adetona has endowed a Professorial Chair in Governance
in the University with over a billion Naira purposely to
stimulate research in governance and development.
Governance and development, in this sense, covers all the
fields of human endeavour.”
“Kabiyesi has not only provided the enabling environment, but keeps on encouraging us on a daily basis. Such personality is very rare in this nation. He has gone a step further by funding Institute of Governance in the University with over three billion Naira investment. We hope this will change the attitude of our elites and wealthy ones in this nation so that they can invest rightly in the intellectual and physical development of this nation.”
With proper and relevant training, the Vice-Chancellor expressed optimism that many more lecturers in the University would easily write research proposals and successfully access grants for that purpose henceforth.
Delivering his keynote address, the Occupier of the Professorial Chair in Governance, Prof. Akinsola Agagu, said research remains one of the main pillars of the job of academics, adding that it is the fulcrum of development of any nation.
He said, “The Western countries that bestride the world like colossus attained that feat through rigorous as well as sustained research. China, Japan, the Asian Tigers and the like have changed their fortune through their success in their research bids.”
“The recognition of the place of research in national, regional and global development has led some nations, foundations and other bodies, including international ones, to invest enormous resources in research.”
Prof. Agagu disclosed that the workshop was “just a tip of the iceberg,” pointing out that the Professorial Chair in Governance would come up with varieties of programmes that will stimulate academic development in the next two years. He thanked the University Management and both the academic and non-teaching staff for great support given to him since assumption of office.
The scholar explained that the grants writing proposal
workshop was sponsored by the Awujale based on the need to
stimulate research, especially in the area of
governance.
“Kabiyesi is so much concerned about the deplorable
and deteriorating situation of governance in this country
and he had instituted a professorial chair so that we can
drive research in this area. He doesn’t believe that
we should abandon the Nigeria project. He believes that
through intellectual engineering, we can still turn around
the fortune of this country. And the best way is to have a
virile research,” he added.
The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, it will be recalled, had domiciled the Professorial Chair in Governance at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, OOU to enhance the image of the University and execute researches capable of proffering solutions to contemporary challenges and issues of governance at both local and global levels.
The highly revered monarch believes that despite the
current challenges, intellectual engagement through deep
research efforts could provide solutions for governance
deficit in the country and that such efforts can only be
complemented and sustained through ability to access
grants by scholars researching in governance issues.
In his presentation, the Guest Lecturer, Dr Akin Iwilade,
advised academics to understand the rudiments of grants
application in order to enhance their research bids.
According to him, the applicant’s profile must speak
expertise and signify competence to the funders.
Iwilade, who is a lecturer in African Studies at the
University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, said those
seeking to access research grants must have academic
reputation for excellence and professional visibility. He
asked them to always find interesting, compelling and
innovative titles for their proposals and ensure concise
writing.
He said, “It is really important that people have
the academic reputation for excellence and the only way
you can build that is a combination of publications in
world leading journals. When I say world leading journals,
I don’t necessarily mean foreign journals.
“One of the problems we have locally is that the reason why our journals are not world leading is because when we write anything that we think is decent, we want to sell it abroad. And, of course, our Universities are increasingly pushing people to publish offshore.”
Iwilade, who is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the
Institute of African and Diaspora Studies at the
University of Lagos, urged academics to always endeavour
to adhere to rules and application deadlines. He warned
against having the notion that grants are means of
financial enrichment, stressing that “grants are
basically to facilitate the research that we do.”
The don also pointed out that Universities have
fundamental role to play in providing institutional
support for academics, adding that institutional structure
that can manage research grants for transparency is
advisable in the ivory towers.
He added, “When you are building partnerships, especially for large grants that usually require partnerships, it’s also really important that there is a clear convergence of relevant expertise between scholars from the institution making the application and the partners.
“The vast majority of funders are more interested in how well your proposals speak to the discipline and to the conceptual and theoretical debates in the discipline. So, my key advice for proposal writing in particular is that it is really important to focus on making a contribution to conceptual thinking on the subject, that is what theoretical debate do you intend to contribute to and not necessarily what empirical or policy problem you wish to solve.”
Meanwhile, the University Librarian, Dr Adebambo Oduwole, has advised academics seeking grants for their research works to always read current literature to boost their chances of accessing research grants. In his contributions at the workshop, he said OOU Library was readily available to assist lecturers and researchers with up-to-date articles, books and e-resources in order to come up with robust research and rich publications.
Oduwole said, “The quality of your publication determines whether you will get the grant or not. If you are looking for the gap in your research work, you need to read a lot of current literature. So, this is where we (OOU) come in as an institution.
“I can tell you – and I’m not boasting – there is no library in West Africa that has what we have here in OOU. We have over 28 databases. If any journal article is published today, we have it in our library. During the recent National Universities Commission accreditation, we demonstrated the huge capacity and resources of our library for the assessors.”
While noting that the University had invested so much in its library resource, the Librarian enjoined academics and researchers to always patronise it so that the tremendous investments would not go to waste.
