OAU has fulfilled founding fathers’ vision, says TETFund boss

The executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, has said the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has lived to the ideals of its founding fathers, breeding experts in various fields of human endeavors. Echono, while delivering a lecture to mark the 65th anniversary of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, also said investment in research and innovation systems will generate practical solutions suited to local realities. The TETFUND boss, in the copy of the paper obtained in Osogbo on Friday, paid glowing tributes to the pioneer and successive Vice Chancellors of the university for sustaining the legacies of the university’s founding fathers. “The Great Ife has remained a symbol of commitment and purposeful leadership. Expectedly, the university has lived to the ideals of its founding fathers as the breeding ground for erudite scholars, legal luminaries, successful businessmen, diplomats, accomplished technocrats and administrators, including its legion of Nigerian National Merit Award Winners, who are contributing to national development, and have continued to uphold the reputation of the university,” he said. Speaking on the concept of research and innovation, Echono noted that research and innovation remain key drivers of national development, saying nations that have achieved sustained economic growth and technological advancement have done so through deliberate investment in knowledge generation, scientific inquiry, and practical innovation. He added that in present day global economy, development does not depend on natural resources, but on the capacity to create, apply, and commercialize knowledge. “Research and innovation remain key drivers of national development. Nations that have achieved sustained economic growth and technological advancement have done so through deliberate investment in knowledge generation, scientific inquiry, and practical innovation. “In today’s global economy, development does not depend on natural resources but on the capacity to create, apply, and commercialize knowledge. Nigeria’s developmental challenges, though significant, also present opportunities for innovation-driven transformation. Related News UNIPORT names ex-Rivers health commissioner new vice-chancellor LASU Student Dies After Armed Robbery Attack LASU eyes Harvard, Yale partnerships as chancellor outlines vision “Addressing issues such as unemployment, insecurity, hunger, healthcare limitations, industrial underdevelopment, and technological dependence requires sustained investment in research and innovation sys