Nigeria risks wasting the development potential of its universities unless research is adequately funded and converted into practical solutions for unemployment, industrial growth and technological advancement, tertiary education stakeholders in the South-South have warned.
They therefore called for increased TETFUND funding for research, innovation and manpower development, arguing that stronger links between universities and industry would enable tertiary institutions to produce skills and solutions capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic and development challenges.
The stakeholders, comprising vice chancellors, rectors and administrators of tertiary institutions in the zone, made the call at the 2026 TETFUND Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting for the South-South held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Presenting a paper, From Funding to Impacts: Research, Innovation, Digital Transformation and Human Capital Development, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Isaac Opipi, said TETFUND had recorded significant infrastructure interventions but needed to place greater emphasis on human capital development and research capacity.
Opipi, represented by the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Blessing Jaja, called for well-equipped laboratories, faster access to research grants and effective mechanisms to measure the impact of TETFUND interventions, saying research funding could improve the quality of education and generate solutions for national development.
He also advocated specialised training for lecturers and students on the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence, while urging improved salaries and working conditions to retain academics and discourage migration of Nigerian lecturers to foreign institutions.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Tonbarapagha Kingdom, called for a major overhaul of tertiary education curricula to incorporate industrial skills, saying the disconnect between classroom learning and workplace requirements was contributing to unemployment and economic challenges.
The South-South representative on the TETFUND Board of Trustees, Hon. Abo Uduyok, said the engagement was aimed at strengthening accountability and ensuring that interventions produce measurable outcomes, while Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Essien, urged curriculum planners to embed morality and patriotism in education to produce graduates capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.
