The Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Maduebibisi Iwe, has described the lack of recognition and support for research and development by Nigerian industries as a major setback to innovation in the country’s universities.
Prof. Iwe expressed his concern in an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Umuahia.
He noted that the link between industries and academia had remained weak because most industries in the country were subsidiaries that did not invest in indigenous research and development.
“It is worrisome that most industries in Nigeria do not recognize the importance of the academia,” he said.
“We are still struggling to build partnerships with them because most industries here are subsidiaries. They rely heavily on imported concentrates and materials, which limits their capacity to support local research and development.”
The vice-chancellor said that although the university continues to engage in research and innovation, the weak industry-academia collaboration has slowed progress.
According to him, the university has organized annual research and innovation fairs for the past two years to showcase its inventions and promote knowledge exchange.
“We invite people to see what we have developed in engineering, veterinary medicine, food science, technology, and agriculture.
When they see what we’ve achieved, they can tap from our knowledge,” he said.
On alleged extortion of students by lecturers, Iwe said the university had established strict measures to curb such practices.
He explained that a Book Pricing Committee was set up to assess academic books, fix prices, and ensure they are sold only through the university’s bookshop — preventing exploitation through arbitrary pricing.
Iwe, however, noted that some students were reluctant to report erring lecturers, which sometimes hinders disciplinary action.
He warned that any lecturer or staff member found guilty of extortion or other misconduct would face the full weight of the law.
