* Splashes N12m on ABUAD researchers
By John Odunayo
The Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, has charged university researchers to translate their research outputs to marketable products for the benefit of society.
Babalola spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday during the 2023/2024 ABUAD Founder’s Research Award Day, where he splashed N12m on deserving institution’s staff for their scholarly researches published in Scopus-indexed journals in 2024.
Babalola particularly told ABUAD researchers, “The award ceremony is conducted to thank all of you for your hard work and contribution to ABUAD. I urge you not to only publish but also translate your research output into marketable products which I am willing to fund.
“This is one of the reasons why I established the university, the Multi-systems hospital, the industrial park and the Agro-tourist farm”.
He said, “Today, we shall be disbursing a grand total of N12m. This marked increase over the previous years is because over 150 scholarly publications were churned out above that of year 2022”.
Babalola charged the lecturers to recognise that “quality education includes among others, quality teaching, impactful research, community service, grant, learning and character”, which he said were the basis for promotion in ABUAD.
The ABUAD founder in his projection for 2024, pledged that “any staff member with the highest number of publications not less than 75 (publications) will receive a beautiful car gift from me.
“The first runner up with a publication of not less than 60 will receive N1m and the second runner up with a publication of not less than 55 will receive N750,000”.
Babalola, however, encouraged the lecturers to publish their researches in the ABUAD/OGEES Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, which he said “has now acquired the same status as Scopus. This has brought respite from the present challenges of paying for journal articles in the university”.
He said, “So far, I have spent over N350m for the publication of articles by ABUAD staff in Scopus-indexed journals in the last eight years. In the same manner, in 2015, I instituted a framework for rewarding ABUAD scholars who fulfilled the mandate of publishing in Scopus-indexed journals.
“As at May, 2024, the university has had 2,635 Scopus-Indexed publications. Consequently, this has enabled the university to cross the baseline of a minimum of 1000 Scopus-indexed publications in her repositories,” Babalola said.
ABUAD Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, who hailed Babalola for encouraging the staff to excel, however charged the lecturers not to take the opportunity for granted, adding, “It is not out of place for any lecturer to start preparing now to win the car offer for next year”.
