The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that Nigeria risks mismanagement of research funds unless strong institutional mechanisms are put in place to regulate and coordinate research institutions.

ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, in an interview, proposed the creation of a legally backed national research council to coordinate and regulate the country’s research institutions.

He noted that Nigeria currently has more than 60 research institutions, many of which are underperforming due to weak coordination and a lack of strategic direction.

This, he said, creates a potential for misuse of large research funds by institutions without proper oversight by statutorily set bodies.

“We need to have a legal backing for a research council that would harmonise, streamline and bring all these research institutions and their activities together. If we flood the research space in Nigeria with N4 trillion today, where would it go? Let us answer it honestly. Will it go into people’s pockets? Could it be used for the 2027 general election? Or are we truly going to use it for research?” he queried.

Piwuna acknowledged the new Federal Government/ASUU agreement, which commits the government to allocating one per cent of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research.

He noted that this could dramatically improve the country’s research capacity, amounting to about N4 trillion per year.

Piwuna, however, cautioned that funding alone would not address the challenges facing the research sector.

He called for stronger partnerships between universities and private sector industries, suggesting that companies could sponsor advanced academic research that directly addresses industrial challenges.

“What if Dangote decides to sponsor 100 PhDs in selected Nigerian universities, and whatever they are doing should improve his refinery or cement factory?” he asked.

Piwuna stressed that collaboration between government, academia, and the private sector is critical for building a sustainable research ecosystem.

“We cannot do this successfully without a genuine handshake with the private sector. Let them tell us what they want; let us tell them what we can give and achieve on terms of how to achieve these things,” Piwuna added.

The ASUU president lamented the disconnect between policymakers and researchers, saying it has slowed national progress.

“The research environment in Nigeria needs to change fundamentally. Part of the change we desire is to see a connection between the state’s policies and what happens in our research. There is a total disconnect now between what the policies are and those of us who should produce research whose outputs would meaningfully make the country make progress,” Piwuna said.