What does the Nigerian Academy celebrate?

[Bunmi fatoye-matory]

By  Adesuyi Ajayi, M.D. Ph.D

The currency of tertiary academic institutions is the scholastic discoveries and innovation emanating from its research and endeavors. But in our universities, the perennial news is about appointments in the administrative cadre of university hierarchy. The Nigerian public has been conditioned to only expect such mundane and routine announcements.

 The true pursuit of Veritas, by novel discoveries in knowledge, or in innovative application to solve extant problems, is rarely a news item today. Since we replicate that which we celebrate, the Nigerian public is inundated with pedestrian news that makes universities to be like and no different from ministries or government parastatals. Even with parlous funding , the modest research output and impact of the university scholars, are relegated and disregarded. The tax payers are conditioned to have no expectation of discoveries or innovations emanating from tertiary research institutions. Whereas, it's the new research findings and it's further expansion or applications, that drive the advance of civilization globally, and not the occupancy of any status and not stature based positions. There is an imperative for change.