Yilwatda donates N100m to Akwa Ibom State Varsity for research

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda on Thursday announced a personal donation of N100 million to Akwa Ibom State University to support research projects in the institution.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the Special Adviser to the National Chairman of APC (Media and Communications Strategy), Abimbola Tooki said Yilwatda also pledged to link the Vice Chancellor of the University with appropriate authorities in the United States of America to set up a world class institute within the University campus.
According to him, the idea is to make the students of the institution to be able to effectively compete with their peers from any part of the globe.
The APC boss said he made the donation in line with his strong advocacy for repositioning Nigerian universities as centers of innovation, national development, and global competitiveness.
He stated that the grant is dedicated to strengthening research output that addresses pressing national challenges and translates knowledge into practical solutions.
Yilwatda regretted that Nigeria’s investment in research remains below 0.5 per cent of GDP— which he noted is far beneath the OECD benchmark of 2 per cent.
He explained that the research fund is expected to prioritise high-impact areas critical to Nigeria’s present and future, including flood modelling in coastal regions, climate adaptation strategies in the Niger Delta, optimisation of offshore oil production, sustainable fisheries management, and renewable energy integration.
“This intervention is about building capacity, credibility, and confidence in Nigerian research. When research is impactful, universities become catalysts of development, and nations become globally competitive,” he said.
The National Chairman emphasised that emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence-driven modelling, big data analytics, and global digital research platforms, must be deployed to move research from abstract theory to tangible societal impact, particularly in resource-rich and environmentally sensitive regions like Akwa Ibom State.