YABATECH Don Calls for Stronger Link Among Academia, Industry, Govt through Operational Research, ,
Funmi Ogundare
A Chief Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr. Victor Adeleye Haastrup, yesterday, called on the federal government to institutionalise Operational Research (OR) as a strategic tool for national planning and governance transformation.
Haastrup who made this known at the 21st inaugural lecture of the college which he delivered, titled ‘Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice’, emphasised that Nigeria’s persistent disconnect between academia, industry, and government remains a major obstacle to sustainable development.
He argued that adopting Operational Research, a data-driven, analytical, and interdisciplinary decision making framework, will provide the practical solutions needed to overcome such structural inefficiencies.
According to him, “Operational Research should be institutionalised within government agencies through legislation, funding mandates, and training frameworks. Academia must reorient its research toward policy relevance and industrial applicability, guided by OR methodologies.”
He explained that countries that have embraced evidence-based decision-making, such as through OR, have achieved higher transparency, efficiency, and accountability in public service delivery.
To achieve this in Nigeria, Haastrup outlined several strategies, including; institutionalising structured collaboration, establishing national Operational Research Councils and Research-to-policy translation hubs that unite academia, industry, and government for problem-oriented research and innovation; strengthening funding and innovation through using OR-based investment models such as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to guide research funding towards high-impact and feasible projects aligned with national goals.
The don lamented that despite its proven utility in developed nations, Operational Research remains underutilised in Nigeria due to poor funding, weak institutional collaboration, limited data infrastructure, and low capacity within public institutions.
He stated that Nigeria’s complex challenges, from urban planning and healthcare delivery to agricultural optimisation, require more than intuition or political rhetoric.
“They demand precision, simulation, optimisation, and long-term planning — exactly what Operational Research provides,” he stated.
Appealing to students, Haastrup urged them to go beyond the pursuit of certificates and embrace a mindset of creativity and innovation.
“In developed countries like the United States, young people are trained through operational research and practical engagements. If our students can also see education as a platform to develop solutions and not just a means to earn certificates, they will contribute meaningfully to national transformation,” he stated.
Speaking with journalists, the Rector of the college, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, emphasised the need for Nigeria to embrace Operational Research (OR) as a vital tool for solving national problems and strengthening evidence-based decision-making in both the education sector and governance.
He said it was crucial for policymakers, institutions, and industries to rely on data-driven research when formulating policies, rather than making decisions based on assumptions or routine practices.
He noted that one of the key lessons from the lecture was the importance of using OR to bridge the disconnect between academia and industry, while promoting innovation and efficiency in national development.
“Evidence-based decision-making is key to ensuring that we make the right decisions that will be beneficial to end users,” Abdul stated. “When we subject people to decisions based only on imagination or personal thinking, we increase the risk of errors. Nothing stops us from gathering facts, conducting research, and expanding our investment in research and development.”
, Education – THISDAYLIVE, November 1, 2025, 12:46 pm
