The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has unveiled his plans for the institution.
Fasina pledged to make FUOYE a global brand for research with a view to enhancing academic productivity.
He also enjoined Nigerian universities to prioritise research through dissemination of outputs, robust critiques, engagements and cross-fertilisation of ideas.
According to the VC, this would provoke academic productivity for the overall benefits of Nigeria and the African continent.
Fasina made the comments on Wednesday at the opening of an International Conference being hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The theme of the two-day conference is ‘Optimizing and Achieving Nigeria’s Socio-economic Development: Prospects, Opportunities and Challenges.’
The VC said the theme was not only apt for the nation’s socio-economic development but would boost the nation’s economic prosperity.
He state, “It is not out of place to say that our dear country is facing a lot of challenges ranging from increasing population to competition for scarce resources and its attendant vices.”
Fasina maintained that to optimise and achieve Nigeria’s socio-economic development, there is the need to harness the prospects, identify the opportunities and proffer veritable ways forward to mitigate the challenges through evidence-based and empirical research from academia.
The dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Babatunde Omotosho, in his comments described the vice chancellor as an enigmatic and result-oriented leader, saying his fatherly role would not be forgotten in a hurry.
A keynote address was also delivered at the opening day of the conference by Professor Olabisi Idowu Aina from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, after an opening remark by the chairman, conference organising committee, Dr Sunday Adedini.
