Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), TPL Dr. Adamu Abubakar Dabban, has charged postgraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, to use their research to develop practical solutions to Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
Dabban gave the charge Wednesday in his goodwill message to newly admitted postgraduate students at the university’s 2025/2026 Postgraduate Matriculation Ceremony.
He urged the students to look beyond acquiring academic certificates and focus on generating knowledge and innovations capable of improving the lives of Nigerians.
According to him, postgraduate education should serve as a bridge between academic knowledge and national development, stressing that researchers must constantly ask themselves: “What problem will my research solve?”
Dabban identified food security, climate change, agricultural technology, biotechnology, value addition and sustainable development as areas requiring innovative research to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
He also called for stronger collaboration among universities, research institutes, government agencies and the private sector, noting that the complexity of the nation’s developmental challenges requires partnerships across disciplines and institutions.
The ARCN boss encouraged the students to take advantage of ABU’s academic environment, research facilities and intellectual community while upholding discipline, integrity, curiosity and academic excellence.
He said the true value of postgraduate education should be measured by the ideas generated, lives transformed and national problems solved, rather than the academic titles attached to graduates’ names.
Dabban congratulated the matriculating students and urged them to ensure that their research produces knowledge, their knowledge generates innovation and their innovations provide solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
