A Professor of Neurology at the University of Ilorin, Kolawole Wasiu Wahab, has called for the removal of universities from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) as many research works by scholars have been halted as a result of the inability to access foreign grants paid through the Central Bank of Nigeria because of the TSA policy in the country.

Prof. Wahab, who made the call penultimate Wednesday (May 27, 2024) while delivering the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences Public Lecture and Research Workshop, charged the government to “lift embargo on employment and employ more staff in universities and teaching hospitals and make recruitment into residency training seamless”.

Speaking on the theme, “Navigating the Twists and Turns of Medical Research in Nigeria”, the former Director of the Centre for Research Development and In-House Training (CREDIT), also called on the government at all levels to finance medical research as it is done in other countries that are desirous of good health for their citizens.

Pointing out that “the world will only be better if we improve the way things are done”, the don said that to improve the country’s health indices, there is a need to improve medical research.

He said, “Government must make a deliberate effort to finance medical research as it is done in other countries desirous of good health for their citizens, provide relevant infrastructure to encourage solution-driven research, improve working conditions to stem the tide of brain drain, grant universities true autonomy so that they will be able to manage their finances”,

Prof. Wahab also urged the universities and teaching hospitals in the country to “establish intra- and inter-disciplinary collaborations, collaborate with local and foreign universities for synergies, such as south-south and north-south collaborations, establish functional Research Management Offices, employ the best brains while respecting the Federal Character clause, motivate and reward productive staff, reintroduce refresher courses for staff, introduce students to research early in their training and institutionalise mentoring”.

In his presentation on the topic, “Effective Multidisciplinary Research Collaboration: Experience Working with Medical Researchers”, Prof. Alfred  Adegoke of the Department of Counsellor Education, University of Ilorin, said that multi-disciplinary collaboration enables creativity in research, helps to create the ability to explore diverse fields in our efforts to create historical and new knowledge.

Prof. Adegoke said, “Many intellectual, social, economic and political problems require multidisciplinary approach to be solved. It reminds us of the unity that exists among diverse intellectual fields or disciplines. It provides the scholars with the opportunity to delve into other disciplines in the course of his/her research thereby enabling him/her to appreciate the relevance of other disciplines”.

He said that the concentrated effort of many hands and minds is transformative in most organisational applications, adding that “tackling major issues in society today requires a collective effort by different disciplines working together”.

Also in her presentation, titled “Effective Multidisciplinary Research Collaboration in Nursing”, Prof. Deborah T. Esan of the Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Bowen University, Iwo, said that sustaining collaborative efforts and evaluating outcomes requires continuous evaluation, knowledge dissemination, funding opportunities and team building activities while ensuring equitable participation”.

Earlier in his opening address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Services), Prof. Sulaiman Funsho Ambali, said that all hands are on deck in creating an outfit for the Faculty, stressing that the University administration is already concluding arrangements to put all its outlets under the UNILORIN Holdings to enhance the Internally generated revenue in the University.