Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, has stressed that Nigeria must significantly expand postgraduate enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, agriculture, health, and public policy to achieve the country's Vision 2050 agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Olayinka, a Professor of Applied Geophysics and the 12th Vice Chancellor of UI, made the call while delivering the keynote address at the maiden Postgraduate School Discourse of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, themed "Consolidating Postgraduate Education in Nigerian Universities."

He described postgraduate education as one of the strongest drivers of sustainable national development, noting that it produces the high level manpower, research capacity, and innovation needed to address Nigeria's pressing socio economic challenges. "Postgraduate education transforms a country's population from a demographic burden into a demographic dividend by equipping graduates with advanced knowledge and research skills needed for national development," he stated.

Olayinka urged universities to invest heavily in Information and Communication Technology infrastructure to strengthen postgraduate administration, covering admissions, registration, student records management, and local area network facilities. He also called for increased investment in research, maintaining that Universities must remain the nation's leading centres for basic research while cultivating applied research capable of addressing societal needs, and stressed that research outcomes must be relevant and impactful to dispel perceptions that academic work is detached from national realities.

He specifically called for agricultural research in Nigerian universities to focus on improving traditional farming methods, boosting productivity, and tackling challenges facing smallholder farmers, describing them as the backbone of the country's agricultural sector. He further emphasised the need for universities to strengthen public service through consultancy, community engagement, and outreach, arguing that such initiatives would allow staff and students to apply their expertise to real life problems. Olayinka disclosed that more than 200 of Nigeria's 310 universities currently offer postgraduate programmes, adding that sustained commitment and strategic reforms could resolve many of the challenges facing postgraduate education.

Vice Chancellor of Chrisland University, Professor Oyedunni Sola Arulogun, described the maiden discourse as the start of a tradition of scholarly engagement aimed at strengthening postgraduate education. "Every great institution is defined not only by the knowledge it imparts but also by the quality of conversations it inspires. Today, we begin one such conversation," she said, adding that universities are increasingly judged by the quality and impact of their research rather than graduate numbers alone.