By Ahmad Umar
Gombe (Nigeria ) – Research fellows from African countries are holding a three weeks programme in Gombe State University in northeast Nigeria, with a view to finding remedy for epilepsy.
“No single pharmaceutical company in Nigeria is doing research, we need to empower the younger ones to be better researchers in future,” says Professor Isa Husaini Marte of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Maiduguri at the official opening of the training and research programme.
Organized by the Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa (TReND/ISN), in collaboration with Cambridge University, the meeting is the 7th TReND/ISN research training on insect Neurosciences and Drosophila Neurogenetics.
Professor Marte said, poor funding by government and the private sector is frustrating research in Nigeria.
“Government is not allocating enough funds to research. TETFund is tying, but not doing enough. They need to inject more funds into research. Private sector, especially the pharmaceutical industry is not doing anything on research,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein. Vice Chancellor of Gombe State University, Professor Umar Ibrahim, said, lack of funding was the bane of research in Nigeria, adding “This is because of the country’s inability to develop research tradition and know the importance of research.
”We want to develop this country, we want good products, we want our economy to improve, but we don’t fund research.
“So, I think it is very important that we start funding research in this country. Recently a sister African country earmarked about $45m. But it is not money alone. We need to develop the mind-set and culture,” he said.
While giving a brief on research activities in Gombe State University, Acting Director of Research and Innovation at
the institution Dr. Aliyu Babale, said, lack of research could lead to great numbers of professors with limited research in the nearest future.
“The other name of University is Research, because research speaks solution,” he said.
Director, TReND in Africa, Dr. Lucia Prieto, said, the workshop/training is the first of its kind in Nigeria and the seventh in the world.
She said, it would promote international collaboration within and outside Africa, while pledging TReND’s continued support to Gombe State University.
