Cyril Mbah, Abuja
The vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Raseed Na’Allah, has urged students of the university to take advantage of educational grants and other available funding opportunities to engage in serious research work so as to enhance their academic pursuits.
Na’Allah made the call while speaking at a one-day seminar on “the Art of winning grants” organised by the Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training at the Main Campus of the institution.
He said the nation and the world were looking up to medical students and those studying other subjects for world-class research findings that would elevate humanity, solve the numerous teething problems and challenges facing the world to make the earth a better place for man.
The VC disclosed that the Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training was recently revived as an arm of the College of Health Sciences to motivate and enable students pursuing medicine to engage in deep research work using available funding and scholarship grants.
The vice chancellor condemned the propensity of university students to depend solely on their parents for money when such individuals could tap into numerous funding opportunities floated by several organisations that are willing to sponsor valuable research activates worldwide.
The chief executive officer, Institute of Human Virology, [IHVN], Abuja, Dr Patrick Dakum, who spoke on the factors that facilitate the winning of grants, encouraged the students to draft bankable proposals and seek out organisations to fund their research works for greater excellence in their academic pursuits.
In a brief interview with newsmen, the director of the institute, Dr Fatima Kyari, expressed delight at the huge turnout of students and lecturers at the seminar and the keen interest shown by participants at the maiden event.
She disclosed that students and lecturers would be exposed to other opportunities in the future that will make the learning environment not only conducive and appealing but will motivate them to greater heights in their academic endeavours.
“We need to sensitise the students, lecturers and other members of the university community and let them know that the institute has commenced operation. The turnout today exceeded our expectations and this shows the level of interest that the subject discussed generated.
“This is the maiden gathering. The next one will be different. The sustainability of actions, when it comes to research, is crucial and that is our focus. We want to sensitise key stakeholders to let them know that they can rely on the institute to achieve our collective vision,” Dr Kyari said.