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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Insidea newly equipped laboratory at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO), scientists are examining evidence that could reshape Nigeria’s understanding of one of its deadliest infectious diseases, Lassa fever. Just a few years ago, such cutting-edge research would have been impossible at the young institution.
Today, the laboratory stands as a symbol of what strategic investment in research can achieve. It is the product of a N250 million Mega Research Grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), an intervention that has transformed FUHSO from a fledgling specialised university into an emerging centre for infectious disease research.
The achievements came into focus recently when the researchers presented the outcome of the project to TETFund, showcasing how a single research grant has evolved into a national conversation on disease surveillance, vaccine development and scientific innovation.
The impact extends far beyond the walls of the laboratory. It has produced groundbreaking findings on Lassa fever, strengthened scientific infrastructure, trained a new generation of researchers and opened the door to what could eventually become Nigeria’s first homegrown Lassa fever vaccine.
At a time when the country continues to battle recurring disease outbreaks and increasing public health challenges, the FUHSO experience offers compelling evidence that sustained investment in research is not merely an academic exercise, it is an investment in national development, healthcare and innovation.
FROM A GRANT TO GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH
When TETFund awarded FUHSO the Mega Research Grant about four years ago, it was more than a financial intervention. It was, in the words of the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Francis Aba Uba, an expression of confidence in the capacity of Nigerian scientists and institutions to generate evidence-based solutions to one of our nation’s most persistent public health
challenges. “For a university barely five years old, the confidence was significant,” he said.
He told TETFund officials at the presentation of the study outcome in Abuja recently that the funding enabled researchers to establish a multidisciplinary team, acquire modern laboratory equipment, conduct extensive field investigations across several states, strengthen collaborations with national and international partners and train young scientists in advanced research methods.
He described the research result as Nigeria’s largest population-based surveillance study on Lassa fever.
CHANGING WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT LASSA FEVER
The research project led by Professor Joseph Okopi, challenged several long-held assumptions about the disease. Perhaps the most significant finding is that Benue State has sustained community transmission of Lassa fever, making it one of Nigeria’s most important hotspots.
The researchers concluded that Benue deserves immediate priority in surveillance, funding and public health interventions, particularly because of its large population of internally displaced persons (IDPs), whose living conditions may facilitate disease transmission. The study also overturned one of the most widely held beliefs about Lassa fever.
For years, public health campaigns have largely focused on a single rodent species known as multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensis).as the principal carrier of the virus. These rodents is said to serve as the natural reservoir for the Lassa virus and shed it in their urine and feces, which can contaminate food sources and household items.
However, the FUHSO researchers were able to established that other rodents including Rattus rattus also harbour the virus, suggesting that disease control strategies should be broadened.
Equally striking was the finding that eating rodents, contrary to popular belief, was not an independent predictor of Lassa fever infection.
Instead, researchers identified poor housing conditions, leaking roofs, poorly fitted doors, rodent infestation and food contamination as the more significant environmental risk factors.
The study also found that adults between the ages of 20 and 40, especially farmers and others whose occupations expose them to the environment recorded the highest level of exposure to the virus.
QUESTIONS SCIENCE MUST STILL ANSWER
One of the most intriguing discoveries in the study was that many residents of Benue had evidence of previous exposure to the Lassa virus but never developed severe disease.
Researchers believe the answer may lie in genetics. They have called for extensive genomic studies to determine whether some populations possess biological characteristics that provide partial protection against the virus. Such discoveries could contribute significantly to vaccine development and future treatment strategies.
The team also reported evidence suggesting that transmission routes may be more complex than previously understood, a finding the researcher said they intend to publish in three scientific papers.
BUILDING MORE THAN RESEARCH
While the scientific findings are important, perhaps the greatest achievement of the project is the institutional capacity it has created.
The TETFund intervention enabled FUHSO to establish a modern research laboratory that will continue supporting investigations into emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases long after the Lassa fever project has ended.
The project also equipped young academics with practical skills in molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, laboratory science and field surveillance.
New collaborations were equally forged among clinicians, public health physicians, microbiologists, laboratory scientists and epidemiologists under the One Health approach, strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to respond to future disease outbreaks.
To this end, TETFund did not simply finance a research project; it helped build an ecosystem for scientific innovation. Nevertheless, the findings have begun attracting the attention of policy makers responsible for disease surveillance and public health planning.
The study thus recommended enhanced surveillance in Benue, identification of transmission hotspots, greater investment in portable point-of-care diagnostic equipment, expanded genomic research and the establishment of a National Lassa Virus Research Network.
The researchers also urged authorities to broaden disease surveillance beyond traditionally recognised endemic states and adopt a multidisciplinary One Health approach that integrates human, animal and environmental health.
They said if the recommendations are fully implemented, they could significantly improve Nigeria’s preparedness for future outbreaks.
TOWARDS A HOMEGROWN LASSA FEVER VACCINE
For TETFund, the research should not end with journal publications. The Executive Secretary of the Fund, Sonny Echono, believes the next step should be the development of Nigeria’s first homegrown Lassa fever vaccine.
Addressing the researchers during the presentation of the findings, Echono challenged them to identify the quickest pathway from scientific discovery to vaccine production.
He pledged TETFund’s support for the next phase of research and said the Fund would engage the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the Federal Ministry of Health to ensure that the findings are translated into practical health interventions.
He also indicated that successful validation of the research could strengthen the case for establishing a vaccine development centre in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the success of the research project has significantly emboldened FUHSO to seek designation as a National Centre of Excellence in Infectious Diseases Research.
University authorities argue that the institution has demonstrated the scientific expertise, research infrastructure and collaborative networks needed to lead research into emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
It is a bold aspiration, but one supported by evidence.
University officials further noted that within a few years, the university has established advanced laboratory facilities, conducted one of Nigeria’s largest infectious disease studies and produced findings capable of influencing national health policy.
THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE PROJECT
Scientific breakthroughs rarely come without personal sacrifice. For the FUHSO team, the Lassa fever project tested not only their scientific expertise but also their courage and resilience. The project was no exception.
For instance, it was recorded that one of the medical doctors involved in the study contracted Lassa fever while the research was ongoing but she survived.
Similarly, a field researcher was kidnapped during data collection in Kano State before eventually regaining freedom. The team also grappled with the severe impact of the naira’s depreciation, which significantly increased the cost of fieldwork, laboratory supplies and logistics. Yet the researchers persevered.
They said the experiences are a reminder that meaningful scientific discoveries are often achieved through extraordinary resilience.
FOR THE FUTURE
The story unfolding at FUHSO is therefore about far more than one university or one research grant. It is proof that when Nigerian researchers receive the resources, confidence and institutional support they deserve, they can produce discoveries that save lives, shape policy and place the country firmly on the global scientific map.
For decades, Nigeria relied heavily on foreign institutions for many scientific breakthroughs relating to diseases affecting its own people.
That narrative is gradually changing.
Evidently, TETFund through strategic interventions, is helping universities evolve from centres of teaching into hubs of innovation where local challenges are addressed through locally generated evidence.
Its investments are producing modern laboratories, nurturing young scientists, strengthening collaborations and creating research capable of influencing government policy and improving lives.
Undoubtedly, the N250 million invested in FUHSO has not only yielded far more than scientific publications, it has created lasting research infrastructure, expanded Nigeria’s pool of scientific expertise and generated findings that could reshape the country’s response to one of its most persistent infectious diseases.
As Nigeria confronts increasingly complex health, economic and environmental challenges, one lesson stands out from the FUHSO experience: investment in research is not a cost but one of the most strategic investments any nation can make.
In helping universities turn ideas into discoveries and discoveries into solutions, TETFund is quietly laying the foundation for a more innovative, healthier and more self-reliant Nigeria.
