The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali (OON), has reiterated the importance of research grants to the success of postgraduate research, noting that the Centre for Research Development and In-House Training (CREDIT) was established to, among other things, assist postgraduate students to secure research grants.

Prof. Ambali made this submission last Monday (April 18, 2016) while receiving the members of the Executive Council of the Postgraduate Student Association (POGSASS) who paid him a courtesy visit in his office. The Vice-Chancellor advised the postgraduate students to "interact with CREDIT to learn how to source for fund and learn skill for writing for research grant". He congratulated the new POGSASS Executive Committee members on their successful election, underscoring the importance of the election because it was done through the e-voting platform of the University.

Advising the students to forge a lifelong relationship with their supervisors, Prof. Ambali told them to see their supervisors as their guardians, fathers and mentors. He also admonished them to confide in their Deans, promising that the University would assist them to succeed. The Vice-Chancellor said that postgraduate students are critical to the development of the University as they assist in generating the much-needed data, citing the example of the postgraduate students that participated in the University of Ilorin drone project.

Prof. Ambali also counselled the postgraduate students to interact with the Centre for Entrepreneurship to acquire skills that would make them employers of labour rather than job seekers after their studies. Earlier in his remarks, the President of POGSASS, Comrade Muritala A. Ridwan, explained that the purpose of their visit was to appreciate the Vice-Chancellor for all he has done for the postgraduate community as a whole and the blessings his tenure has brought to the University. Comrade Ridwan said, "We thank you for the friendly and enabling atmosphere you created for our study and the election that brought us to office, the befitting offices you allocated to us as secretariat and very many other things you have done and those you promised to do for our association".

The POGSASS President promised that his administration would provide "an all-inclusive, accessible, responsive and responsible leadership with transparency, accountability and constitutionality""adding that programmes such as academic seminar, international conference, capacity building and the upgrade of the Association's journal to a national journal are in the pipeline.