Solve problems, Abdul Rahman challenges academics

By| Amarachi Okam

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Professor Shehu Abdul Rahman, had called on academics to be problems solvers, saying: “We are academics because we’re trained to identify and solve problems.”

Abdul Rahman made this statement during the second Faculty of Environmental Design Seminar and Interactive Session held at the Faculty Board Room, Permanent Site Campus, Lafia.

The vice-chancellor, represented by the Director, Academic Planning, Professor Ilemona Adofu, said that it was time for academics to assume their responsibilities in the face of global challenges, adding that “the whole world is waiting for us to proffer solutions facing the world.”

Declaring the event open, Abdul Rahman congratulated the presenter and the staff of the faculty for organising the event, advising the participants to take their research work seriously for human development.

In his welcome address, the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Design, Professor Blaise Gundu Gbaden, thanked the vice-chancellor for his consistent support to the faculty.

He appreciated the presenter for his readiness to always share his knowledge with others, in spite his busy schedule.

In his paper presentation, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Partnership, Professor Samaila Usman Dakyes, stated that researchers are “problem-solvers expected to create new ideas, profound new theories, including designing new products that would impact positively to their immediate society and improve human development.”

The paper tagged: “Academic Research Expectancies in the 21st Century,” Dakyes mentioned that research starts with the identification of a problem through critical observation and reading, stressing the need to do indepth literature review to discover new findings and fill research gaps.

Dakyes urged researchers not to allow anything to pass by, saying that when you “see something, do something and make something new.”