Research: Unilorin increases patents from 4 to 20 -VC

Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, says since he came on board about eight months ago, the university has increased its patents from four to 20.

Abdulkareem, who disclosed this on Tuesday during an interactive session with journalists at the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge, said this feat was made possible “through a reawakening of minds to do things differently and better.”

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state or intergovernmental organisation to an inventor or an assignee for a limited period of time for detailed public disclosure of an event.

“In the last eight months, there has been an increase in research and innovations geared toward the good of the society.

“This is coupled with a significant increase from four to over 20 patents with more still being awaited to be produced in the next few months.

“The University of Ilorin will go far in research through its reawakening of minds to do things differently and better.

“I believe we have a long way to go but in good time, we will go very far in the University of Ilorin,” he said.

Abdulkareem however urged Nigerians to be patriotic and desist from the mad rush for money for the country to move forward.

He lamented the recurring strikes by health workers and fleeing of medical doctors in large numbers out of the country.

“The problem is that we are not patriotic and we are not ready to do anything for the good of the people except for money.

“Our health workers need to realise that the profession is not one that should be going on strikes.

“A medical doctor should think that the patient might die or be in pain while they are on strike.”

The vice chancellor urged the government to avoid letting workers go on strike before responding to their demands.

On how the university is tackling the menace of Fulani herdsmen around the environment, he said: “we cannot tell the Fulani to just pack and go anywhere.

“What we do is to educate them. What universities like ours need to do is also to educate them on how they can rear their animals without causing damage or casualties to people’s property or lives.

“If we make enemy out of them, in the long run we are going to regret its outcome because one thing I know about the Fulani herdsmen is that when they are weak, they will run but will come back to fight later.”

Abdulkareem said that the Fulani herdsmen needed to be educated if all they knew about cattle grazing was trampling on people’s land resulting to damage of property.