As someone who has spent years within Nigeria’s higher education system, I’ve seen the recurring call for professors to “stop publishing and start producing.” It’s a catchy slogan — but a dangerous misunderstanding of what universities exist to do.
Our professors don’t need to run factories; they need the space, resources, and respect to do what they were trained to do: teach, research, and think.
Universities Create Knowledge, Not Commerce
The NUC Act (1974) and the Education (National Minimum Standards) Act (2004) clearly define the mission of universities as:
1. Teaching and Learning — to produce skilled graduates;
2. Research — to expand the frontiers of knowledge;
3. Community Service — to apply expertise to societal needs.
Nowhere are universities asked to manufacture goods or commercialize technology independently. That responsibility belongs to specialized agencies under the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FMSTI) — such as NASENI, NABDA, and NIPRD — created to bridge research and industry.
Expecting professors to act as entrepreneurs and industrial engineers is role confusion, not reform.
Publishing Is the Foundation of Innovation
The complaint that “professors publish while problems persist” misses the essence of science.
Publication is not a distraction from innovation — it is its foundation.
Every invention begins as a published idea. Peer-reviewed research: Validates discoveries; Provides data for policymakers; Lays the groundwork for patents and prototypes; Connects African research to the global scientific community.
Without credible research and publication, there can be no credible innovation.
Innovation Requires Synergy, Not Substitution
Nigeria’s National Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (2022) already outlines a clear national innovation model: Universities generate knowledge; Research institutes develop prototypes; Industries commercialize; Government coordinates and supports.
This is the Triple Helix model — collaboration between academia, industry, and government.
Innovation thrives when these three work together, not when one tries to replace the other.
The Real Way Forward
Instead of overburdening lecturers, Strengthen Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) in universities; Promote joint research grants between academia, NASENI, and private firms; Establish Centres of Excellence jointly managed by universities and industries for practical innovation in areas like renewable energy, agri-tech, and healthcare.
Professors don’t need to run factories — they need systems that connect their research.
Knowledge Is the Real Infrastructure
Nation-building begins with knowledge. Professors are not failing because they publish — they are building the intellectual foundation on which industries and economies stand.
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta