By Correspondent in Ilorin
The University of Ilorin has again raised the bar in public health provision in the country with the flag-off of its ultra-modern Molecular Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The Director of Corporate Affairs of the institution,Mr. Kunle Akogun, disclosed in a statement on Sunday in Ilorin that the laboratory, which was commissioned last weekend by TETFund’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Suleman Elias Bogoro, had obtained the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control’s (NCDC) certification.
He said by this development, the laboratory had become a Public Health Laboratory for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and the surveillance of other infectious diseases like poliomyelitis, Lassa Fever and other viral haemorrhagic fevers.
Earlier while flagging off the facility, Prof. Bogoro said that the University had produced the most successful TETFund-sponsored researches in the country for several years, describing the institution’s College of Health Sciences as one of the best rated health training institutions in the country.
He added that the College of Health Sciences had some of the best medical personnel that consistently produce problem-solving researches.
The TETFund boss pointed out that quality of personnel, research infrastructure and relevance of research outcome to the society were the parameters that determined the strength of a university, saying that the University of Ilorin remained number one when those parameters were considered.
Bogoro further disclosed that TETFund was working to curb brain drain by providing infrastructure and research facilities to discourage Nigerians from going abroad where those facilities are available.
He stressed that TETFund was putting research into perspective to ensure that research contributes to national development while advising tertiary institutions to seek complementary funding, adding that TETFund was only an intervention agency.
The TETFund boss pledged the Agency’s continued support to the University to make the Molecular Centre a place of excellence, where service and research would thrive.
