•Prof. Dalha Muazu Photo: Sun News Publishing

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Professor Dalha Muazu, Chairman, Board of Research, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State has stressed the need for researchers to diversify their sources of funding. Muazu, who led his team of researchers to the just-concluded Nigerian Universities Research and Development Fair (NURESDEF) in Lagos, enjoined them not to rely solely on government funding.

According to him, there is need to get funding, co-operation and other incentives from industries.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, he spoke on the challenges facing researchers, how universities have lost a lot of research fellows and why universities should network. Professor Muazu also expressed the hope that soon, research students and graduates would be able to get help from banks and other financial institutions to develop and market their research ideas.

Background
I was born in Funtua in Katsina State, which is not too far from Zaria. I went to Provincial Secondary School in Katsina. I started my Higher School Certificate (HSC) in Warri. Then, we were the first to start HSC. But then, we had to abandon it because of the civil war unfortunately. So, I completed my HSC in Baruwa College and later went into the university.

I hold the Bachelor of Science in Building from Ahmadu Bello University in 1973. After that, I had a stint with a construction company in Kaduna. That was after the National Youth Service Corp and then later on, I joined the university and started lecturing in Zaria. I spent one year there. After that, I went for my Masters of Science degree in Building construction at the University of Florida in the United States. After my masters, I came back to Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and continued lecturing there up to 1983. I resigned in 1983 as a Senior Lecturer and went into the industry.

I also came to work briefly in Lagos. I constructed so many buildings and was involved in so many construction works. I went back to Bauchi, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University as a Senior Lecturer. There, I rose to the rank of Associate Professor in Building. And then, two years ago, I transferred my services to Federal University Minna as a full professor.

Why we came to the fair
In my university, we value research a lot. And the office of the chairman, university board of research is a very important office in the office of the Vice Chancellor. The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna is somebody who values research. I’m glad you asked me this question. There’s a lot of logistics problem, a lot of costs but we just felt we had to come here to show what we are doing in Minna in terms of research.

If you look around our stand, you can see the research we are doing is our research. We do not take this and this and put together. We do original research. And we also target our research at what our society needs. Again, we also target our research at things that we import, which we felt like that we can do it ourselves in this country. And in our stand you could see it. An example is the Tensile Strength Testing Machine. We import all of it. It costs us a lot of money in this country, but now, we have a prototype, which we are demonstrating here. These are some of the areas in which we really want the industries we expect to be here to see so that we can develop it.

We get a lot of co-operation from the government to continue these researches. We have budget for research, of course we need more. The universities interface with the industry generally. I believe, though I can only speak for FUT, Minna is not very strong. It is weak, that’s just the truth. So, we thought this kind of fair is a good forum to bridge this gap. I hope they will come, see what we are doing and then, the question of research development comes. We can make it in this country so we would not have to import. And of course, these are some of the things that will benefit the society.

Universities lost research culture
Twenty years back? Yeah. It’s not only our research culture, we lost most of our professors and human capital. I was in the university 20 years back, I know what you are talking about. Most of our trained people, either they went abroad under this brain-drain issue. It is true, brain-drain is real. We’ve lost a lot of research fellows; we lost a lot of research institutes, it’s all part of it. We have resources. That’s why I said it’s only government that now funds researches.

We don’t get funding from our industries. They don’t even come for the research we have to develop it. There are a lot of researches we have which are not developed. The only way we can improve the situation is really, more funding.

Lecturers’ lack of interest in research
What I can say is that basically, every university has basically three things: teaching, research and community service. So, research is only one of the very three most important things that the university does. You’re quite right, not all lecturers are involved in research. Some do not do any research at all. But the fact still is that a lecturer is saddled with teaching and development.

But one thing I’d like to mention here is that we have very good researchers in this country, very good, very intelligent and capable researchers that can compete anywhere in the world. And if you want to prove it, you go these foreign countries, it is Nigerian researchers resident there that are involved in critical researches, all those countries. The keynote speaker at the fair is a Nigerian researcher from the United States. Those of us who were there saw the kind of research she has done over there, it’s comparable anywhere in the world. And we can replicate it here in this country if we have the resources.

Why the lack of interface between industries and universities
I think the obvious one that can come to mind is that, maybe they are not even aware that we are doing research. Maybe they don’t know we have researches that are waiting to be developed. Honestly, that is the first thing that comes to my mind. Maybe they are not aware they could really fund it, help us develop it. And the industry will benefit, the university will benefit and of course, the society and the country as a whole would benefit from it. So, I believe it is ignorance. That’s why I said such a thing would include collaboration and then, they will become aware.

Challenges
The major challenges of course are funding. We do not have enough resources. The money or resources we get for research in this country is very small. I don’t have figures but research is something that there is no sure banker about it. It’s not that every research you get involved you work; there is a lot of risk. So, there is a lot of heavy investment in research and frankly speaking, more resources should be put into research. Practically, this is the major constraint.

This is the major challenge. We get funding from the government but there is also need to get funding, co-operation and other incentives from industries.

Most foreign countries get heavy funding. For example, our guest lecturer for the fair is a Nigerian based in the United States. She showed us those who are funding her researches. Maybe one or two government institutions, the others are private. So, really, we have to diversify our sources of funding. This is our major challenge. We must get funds.

Squandering of research funds by some lecturers
I don’t know anything about lecturers obtaining grants and then squandering it. Maybe if there is a case, we can look at it. In general, I don’t know about that one.

How helpful are research institutes
There are collaborations between the universities and the research councils. I’m not in the position to give you details of the collaborations but there is. Not only with us but also with other research institutions, and between other universities and us. However, it is a difficult matter when it comes to industry.

Research and unemployment
Now, I’ll talk on research and then research and unemployment, it can be done by lecturers. By post-graduate students. Sometimes, undergraduate students can do it and their research can be very, very important. On the issue of research and graduate unemployment, what I can say is that I am aware that recently, the universities have introduced entrepreneurial studies. In it, undergraduate students mandatorily undertake this at the 500 level. This is necessary so that when they come out of the universities, they will be job creators and not job seekers.

It is no longer like when I graduate and you go to government for jobs. That is gradually becoming a passing phase. I mean when graduates have to solely rely on the government for jobs. And this is universal now. So, today, we prepare our students to be job creators and be very much involved in the private sector, which is supposed to be the engine for growth. And this is the policy of government and is the direction we have to go. I’m sorry to say whether we like it or not, everybody will have to go in this direction. We are now in the era where it is the philosophy and policy of government for graduates to be self-employed, set up businesses and industries in the private sector, which is the engine of national growth and development.

Absence of empowerment
We are looking up to the banks and other financial institutions. Banks are now improved, private sector-driven and strong. They are now organized in such a way that thy can lend and support industries. I believe this is the way it should go. The banks and financial institutions should be able to work in the direction of empowering school leavers and undergraduates. This is the way it should go. It may not be immediate; I believe it will soon be time when students and graduates can obtain financial aid to support their ideas. But I don’t think the government really is interested. Well, let me not speak for the government. They can speak for themselves.

Role of research in national development
Research is basic. Without research, there is no development whatsoever. If we don’t carry out research, we will still be living in stone ages. In the world now, we are learning about ourselves so we have to carry out research to improve on ourselves. Everyday, there is change, there is population change, the way we work changes and technology changes. So, research is basic and necessary. Without it, there’s no development, any kind of development, even national development, without it, nothing happens.

NURESDEF fair
I’m new on my job as the chairman, board of research of the university. And this is my first time of attending the NURSDEF. As leader of my team from Minna, I’m really impressed. I know the first day was opening ceremony, but I’m really impressed. This is the third one that is being held. I believe there is still room for improvement.

Though not all the universities are here but I can see practically all universities of technology in attendance, except one or two from the north. There is need for all universities to come. It is by coming that they will learn and it is also important that they network. So, it is not just that they are here, between us the universities, it is important that we network so that we know the package each university is involved in, really, we can network, and we can collaborate.

My expectation first is that this will lead us to more of such fairs in the future because I can really see a lot of advantages. I expect there will be more of such fairs and that the benefit will begin to accrue.