Coronavirus: Buhari okays TETFund funding of medical research in 6 geo-political zones

By Usman Shuaibu

President Muhammadu Buhari has given immediate approval for the funding of six Medical Simulation, Research and Training Facilities in six Colleges of Medicine through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The facilities will see to the setting up of Molecular Science Laboratories with capacity for testing and diagnostics of Covid-19, Lassa Fever, and related viral diseases.
Already, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has directed the Executive-Secretary (ES) of Tetfund, Prof. Suleiman Bagoro, to select a university in each of the six geo-political zones, where the projects would be executed.
Similarly, TETFund has been mandated to establish 12 Medical Centers of Excellence to be hosted by first, second and third generation universities.
These Centers of Excellence, according to the directive, should be distributed in such a way that two must be cited in each geo-political zone.
Statements signed by Mrs. Ngoba Priye Briggs, Director, Public Affairs and her counterpart, Buhari Mikailu, Director, Physical Infrastructure Development, Tetfund, additional centers of excellence would be cited in state Universities, Polytechnics,and Colleges of Education in “subsequent years”.
The statement added that “the focus areas of the Centers of Excellence, in line with contemporary practice and technologies,are mainly in science-based disciplines”.
In the statement, the Minister emphasized that “ongoing research work in response to covid-19, and similar diseases through the TETFund National Research Fund (NRF), the Research Community of the Federal Ministry of Education should undertake any other sundry contributions in support of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) in responding to the threat of Covid-19” in the country.
The statements noted that the presidential approval was initiated through the recommendation of TETFund Board of Trustees (BOT) and endorsement of the Minister, Malam Adamu.