Vice-chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, has declared that scholars in the Institution “can solve Nigeria problem if properly engaged by government.”
Olayinka said this at the weekend while speaking on the just released ranking of universities across the world with the University of Ibadan rated as number 601 among the 1, 000 best universities across the globe.
He said the University of Ibadan “is blessed with world-class scholars who are dedicated to their calling and must be engaged by Nigeria to solve her problems.”
Describing the latest ranking of the university as “a welcome development,” he urged the federal government to allocate special privilege funding to the University of Ibadan to improve research infrastructure to rise further in future ranking.
He said: “The truth of the matter is that the Times Higher Education Rankings is one of the elite global ranking bodies. It is a thing of joy that we have a respectable position in comparison to peer universities in Africa.
“This is a message to the federal government of Nigeria that we need funding to improve our research infrastructure and funding support in order to enhance productivity.
“We congratulate all faculty, staff and students who have made this feat possible. The federal government should learn to use research output from university of Ibadan to solve problems facing the country. We cannot have world class scholars in Nigeria and rely on those who have never conducted researches on our problems to come and solve our problems.”
