The quantum of state-of-the-art research and science equipment in Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), was taken a notch higher yesterday with the delivery of $298,104.71 (N480, 225, 818.75) worth of equipment from Seeding Labs in the United States of America.
This latest addition to the research and science equipment is through Prof. Oluwafemi Temitayo Ogunmodede, a Professor of Industrial Chemistry and the University’s Director, Academic Planning, who secured 79 different sophisticated research and science equipment worth $298,104.71 (N480, 225,818.75)) from Seeding Labs.
Previous tranches were through the instrumentality of Pius Okiki, Professor of Microbiology and Provost, College of Sciences, who secured Research and Science equipment worth $221,041.98 (N356,083,156.84) in 2023 and Prof. Olusegun Adebayo AdeOluwa of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, who applied to Seeding Labs in January 2023, requesting for the state-of-the-art equipment for teaching and research in ABUAD.
Following AdeOluwa’s application to Seeding Labs, approval was granted in May 2023 after a successful virtual interview involving a team of co-researchers such as Dr. Samuel K. Olaniyi, Dr. Gladys O. Adeoluwa and Dr. Elizabeth T. Akinluyi.
Consequent upon the approval of the application, the counterpart fund of $27,800 was paid by the university, after which the university took delivery of 53 different sophisticated research and science equipment worth N427,427,457.30 on July 30, 2024.
In addition to the above, Dr. Juliet Olayinka of the Department of Pharmacology of the University’s College of Medicine & Health Sciences, won one unit of Observer 5 Microscope with Fluorescence and Camera from Africa Microscopy Initiative in November 2024. The said Microscope, valued at $80,000 (N136,000,000), was delivered earlier in April this year.
Conducting the Founder & Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, his wife, Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola, and the University Management round the Bogoro Drug Research Centre, yesterday, Prof. Ogunmodede and Prof. Okiki commended Babalola for his unwavering commitment to the institutionalisation of quality and functional education and for raising a new generation of leaders since the university commenced academic works on its permanent site on Monday, January 4, 2010.
According to Okiki, the newly acquired state-of-the-art science and research equipment by the university would enhance hands-on training and research for both staff and students, particularly those in Medicine & Health Sciences, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, the Sciences, Engineering and the bourgeoning 124-unit ABUAD Industrial Research Park for large, medium and small-scale industries, as well as the ultra-modern 400-bed ABUAD multi-system hospital acknowledged by leading healthcare stakeholders as the “most well-equipped hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Delving into the carrots inherent in the science and research equipment, most of which are peculiar to ABUAD, Okiki reiterated that apart from putting an end to staff and students having to travel outside the shores of Nigeria to analyse samples, they would also prevent medical and scientific samples from being sent outside the shores of the country for analysis.
Reacting to the development, Babalola, congratulated the duo of Ogunmodede and Okiki and all those who sourced for the equipment for going all-out to acquire the research equipment, many of which are peculiar to ABUAD.
He commended them for taking concrete steps to plug into making ABUAD a continuous active player in World Bank’s three statutory functions of a university properly so-called, namely Quality Teaching, Quality Research and Quality Impact/Engagement.
He said: “I congratulate the university for standing out of the pack in the performance of these three duties stipulated by the World Bank. Our undeniable performance of these functions has been acknowledged globally so much so that in the last ranking by Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, our 15-year-old university was ranked as No. 1 in the World in SDG 7, No.1 in the World in Outreach with a score of 98 percent, No. 1 in the World in Stewardship with a score of 98.2 percent, No.1 among all the 264 federal, state and private universities in Nigeria for three consecutive years – 2022, 2023 and 2024.”
He lamented that despite World Bank’s clarity on this policy statement, surprisingly, most universities in Nigeria still believe that their only duty is to teach and no more, adding that the newly acquired equipment would assist the university, which has successfully produced Virucidine (an immune system booster syrup), Natucadine (anti-aging herbal supplement, and AB-Mal (anti-malaria capsule), a great deal in its research in medicine, pharmacy and the sciences among others.
On a global note, Babalola emphasised that optimal deployment of the equipment by the university would assist in the conservation of foreign exchange, which would otherwise have been deployed into importation of drugs.