Minister of National Planning and Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, Dr. Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman, has vowed to establish a synergy between government ministries, departments and agencies and academic institutions, especially universities, in the country.

He said this will be done with a view to enhancing the policy making machinery of government by keying into various researches and findings of researchers in universities.

Sulaiman who was speaking with newsmen at the Ilorin International Airport Ilorin, Kwara State, said universities have reservoir of researches which must not remain within the precinct of the institutions.

The minister noted that synergising with universities would fast-track the attainment of government's policies and programmes, adding that it would also enable the government to spend less in research, monitoring and feasibility studies.

He said: "We have reservoir of researches and trainings in universities, hence the need to have such links. Any policy that is devoid of research is bound to fail. So we should bring the universities together with the ministries, with the various administrative units of government to better our country."

The minister stated that federal government was on course in the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).