Former University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of postgraduate education in Nigerian universities, saying national development will remain elusive without stronger investment in research and quality training.
He spoke at the maiden Postgraduate School Discourse of Chrisland University, Abeokuta.
—“Universities Must Create Knowledge, Not Just Degrees”—
Speaking on the theme, “Consolidating Postgraduate Education in Nigerian Universities,”_ Olayinka described postgraduate education as the highest level of higher learning where institutions produce researchers, innovators, and academics to solve complex national problems.
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“Universities must move beyond awarding degrees to deliberately creating knowledge that addresses societal needs,” he said. “Postgraduate students constitute the engine room of research in universities. No institution can sustain meaningful research output without a vibrant postgraduate system.”
He argued that the PhD should remain the benchmark for university academics because it equips scholars to generate original knowledge, supervise research, and contribute to teaching, innovation, and policy.
—Push for Industry Linkages, Innovation Hubs—
Olayinka urged universities to embrace interdisciplinary research, strengthen supervision, improve quality assurance, and collaborate with industry to commercialise findings.
He recommended the establishment of technology transfer offices, research parks, and innovation hubs to convert discoveries into commercially viable products and services.
—Funding, Mentoring, Delays Undermining PG Education—
The professor warned that poor funding, inadequate facilities, weak mentoring, and prolonged completion periods continue to undermine postgraduate education.
To reverse the trend, he called for increased research grants, incentives for outstanding researchers, stronger institutional policies, international collaborations, and deliberate investment in recruiting and retaining quality staff.
He also urged universities to reward research excellence and equip postgraduate students with leadership, entrepreneurial, and problem-solving skills alongside academic competence.
Citing the University of Ibadan’s evolution into a leading postgraduate centre, he said universities must continually reform postgraduate administration to boost efficiency and productivity.
—Chrisland Commits to Research Excellence—
In her welcome address, Chrisland University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oyedunni Sola Arulogun, said the discourse marks the start of a lasting tradition of intellectual engagement.
“Postgraduate education is the engine room of knowledge creation, research excellence, technological innovation and national development,” she said, noting that universities are now judged by research impact, not graduate numbers.
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Arulogun said Chrisland is building a postgraduate ecosystem anchored on academic excellence, rigorous research, ethical scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and global relevance.
She urged postgraduate students to see advanced studies as a commitment to disciplined inquiry and originality.
The event drew principal officers, Senate members, academics, researchers, postgraduate students, and other stakeholders.
