Research
The Director of Administration, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), Dr Olayinka Obafemi-Moses, on Wednesday, said that arrangements had been made for the inauguration of the college’s state-of-the-art research centre.
Obafemi-Moses, also the college Secretary, made this known at a news conference heralding the inauguration of the ”Sir Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Research Centre” in Lagos.
He said the comprehensive research centre was a product of the college’s Alumni engagement in 2019 where Adebutu generously donated the sum of N200 million that initiated its inception.
According to him, the facility is going to be a multi-dimensional research centre for comprehensive animal and clinical research that will improve the overall health outcomes for Nigeria and beyond.
He added the project, which would be officially inaugurated on Monday in the college, would train students in research activities, clinical trials in animals and humans research among others.
Obafemi-Moses, who lauded the donor, said Adebutu would use the inauguration of the project mark his 90th birthday.
He noted that prominent dignitaries including the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, the Minister of Health, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate; and the Minster of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, among others would be present at the inauguration ceremony.
“The four-storey-building facility was conceptualised in 2019 and will be officially unveiled on Monday.
“The ground floor will be dedicated to animal research, in the second and third floor there will be research laboratory, while there will also be seminar rooms, data rooms, lecture halls among others.
“We need that kind of facility to able us train and guide the students properly so that they can compete globally,’” he said.
A Researcher from the Department of Surgery, Prof. Adesoji Ademuyiwa, described the project as a “one-stop provision for research support”.
Ademuyiwa said the building was an ultramodern research centre, and being the first in Nigeria would attract scholars from all over the world.
According to him, the facility is well equipped to enhance basic animal and human clinical research.
He said, “The ultramodern research centre being the first of its kind in Nigeria, aims to enhance learning, training and research.
“We are in the business of transactions in knowledge; research is all about creating new knowledge and it is when we generate the knowledge that we can teach it for the students to learn, so, is like a circle.
“It is going to be a one-stop provision for research support that will attract researchers from all over the world.
“The facility is going to enable us generate new information about several health matters that affect Nigerians from cancer research, to cardiovascular research as well as child and maternal research”.
Contributing, another Researcher of the Department of Physiology, Prof. Ahmed Oloyo, said that the project would have multiplayer effects as it would not only enhance learning, but also training and capacity development.
Oloyo explained that the project would go a long way to reduce “Japa syndrome” because it would help in building capacity development to encourage operation of health practitioners in the country.
“This centre is also going to provide human capacity development, which currently is of immense need.
“Capacity development is one key tool that can be used to discourage health practitioners from going abroad to practice.
“Some of the research works from the centre are going to be funded from abroad and that will put Nigeria on the global map,” he said.
