University dons should focus research on job creation — UNIBEN VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor Faraday F. Osasere Orumwense, said this at a two-day Academia-Industry Engagement workshop held at the instituting.

Orumwense said the present situation in the country required deliberate efforts towards creating jobs for the nation's teeming unemployed graduates.

"The nation is currently faced with the onerous task of evolving new macroeconomics strategies that will among other things, provide the much needed jobs for teeming unemployed youths," he said.

"Our graduates largely termed unemployable by industries make this task particularly more difficult, therefore, we must refocus our research for the interest of our nation."

The Vice Chancellor said university dons can help by making their research economy driven and partnering with the industry.

"Collaborations between the academia and the industry is the contemporary praxis in leading universities worldwide.

"This demand driven strategy has proven to be sustainable over the years and the case would not be different with Nigeria."

He noted that the partnership between academic research and the industry will go a long way "to fast track the growth and development of our industries."

"This in my view is the panacea for the age-long problem of unemployment, which appears to have defiled all known solutions in Nigeria."

gathered that the workshop was organised by UNIBEN in partnership with the United Kingdom's Lancaster University.