NAS breaks ground at the headquarters

June 2, 2022

The Nigerian Academy of Science made history on the 27^th of January, 2022 as some Fellows led by the President, Professor Ekanem Braide FAS, journeyed to the proposed site of the NAS headquarters at Wasa district, FCT Abuja for a groundbreaking ceremony. Also in attendance were some Past Presidents of the Academy, Professors Gabriel Ogunmola FAS, Oyewale Tomori FAS and Mosto Onuoha FAS. The turning of the sod was by the Executive Secretary of TETFUND, Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro FAS. The headquarters will have different facilities including a science museum/library complex.TETFund grants NAS the mandate to supervise research teams

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), in line with its research funding mandate under the National Research Fund (NRF), launched a Special COVID-19 Research Grant call . After critical assessments, six proposals were approved for funding. These research projects, among others, aimed at providing critical answers for addressing COVID-19 in Nigeria.

In September 2021, TETFund invited the Nigerian Academy of Science, as the foremost independent scientific body in Nigeria, to provide professional coordination and oversight functions of close monitoring of research execution as well as analysis of project outputs towards an integrated national approach to tackle the pandemic in Nigeria.

The Academy therefore after a virtual take off meeting with Principal Investigators held a total of six project monitoring and evaluation visits. On the 23^rd and 24^th of February, 2022, a stakeholders’ workshop themed ‘COVID-19 Research in Nigeria: Successes, Challenges, Lessons for the Future’ was held in Abuja to bring stakeholders to share key findings, outcomes, and policy implications from the research projects under the TETFund Special Grants for COVID-19 Research and discuss science research in the context of public health emergencies ( using COVID-19 as a case study) in Nigeria.

In the course of the two-day event, presentations were made by principal investigators of the research teams.

In attendance was the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro FAS,. He applauded the Academy for keeping the flag flying since the commencement of the project in 2021. Also in attendance were the Professor Oyewale Tomori FAS, Chair, NAS COVID-19 Project Committee; and the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, who gave the opening address on ‘Science Research in Nigeria: Nigeria’s Response to COVID-19’.

In his address, Adetifa highlighted the major disease outbreaks in Nigeria since 2014 to date. He gave justifications for the need for science research in the country and the successes that have been recorded since the outbreak of COVID-19.

The meeting concluded with various remarks and recommendations on strengthening science research in health emergencies. These include strengthening collaboration among researchers and devotion of adequate funding to research.