Nigeria has long battled outbreaks that threaten not just animal health but human livelihoods.
These range from Lassa fever and anthrax to under-reported zoonotic infections in rural communities.
In a country of over 190 million people, where more than 75 per cent of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and 60 per cent of those stem from domestic or wild animals, the stakes for early detection are especially high.
While many of these challenges persist, a quiet shift is taking place in laboratories and field clinics through the ongoing work of researchers like Dr. Tolulope Ogundipe.
Her focus on genomics, oncology, and One Health is bringing science closer to solutions tailored to Nigeria’s public health landscape.
“Most of our responses are reactive. By the time we detect outbreaks, it’s often too late,” said Dr. Ogundipe, who works at the intersection of veterinary science, molecular diagnostics, and One Health.
Her research uses Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to study oncological cases, host-parasite interactions, and the microbiome of infected animals, building genetic evidence that can track disease emergence and evolution.
Read Also: We’ve not adopted ADC for 2027, says Atiku’s coalition
“This genomic lens offers a unique opportunity: real-time monitoring of zoonotic pathogens and mutations, enabling earlier warnings and better-targeted interventions.
“It also opens doors for cancer surveillance in animals, whose genetic profiles may mirror disease patterns in humans.
“Veterinary genomics, therefore, becomes not just a research tool but a monitoring system for public health threats,” she said.
According to her, Nigeria records thousands of preventable livestock deaths annually, contributing to national losses estimated in the billions.
Yet across many regions, there are still no local laboratories with the capacity for real-time genetic diagnostics.
Sample transport often takes days, if not weeks, delaying vital interventions.
“It’s not only about having sequencing machines. We also need trained hands, mobile labs, and policies that prioritise prevention,” Dr. Ogundipe explained.
During her research placements in Tanzania and Italy, she contributed to mobile DNA extraction protocols and trained students in field-ready techniques for sample handling and storage, even in resource-limited settings.
She is also contributing to comparative oncology, using animal models to better understand cancer pathways that may reflect or inform human cases.
“In Nigeria, we rarely follow up on cancer diagnoses in animals, let alone track family or breed histories,” she said.
“We are missing out on genetic data that could help us understand mutation patterns relevant to African populations.”
Her collaborations on neuromuscular and oncological disorders in cattle, including rare syndromes with potential parallels in human medicine, reflect this translational goal.
However, data scarcity remains a barrier.
“We simply don’t have enough mapped pedigrees or long-term veterinary records,” she noted.
Still, her influence grows. Over the past two years, Dr. Ogundipe has worked closely with veterinary and breeding scientists, sharing protocols and guiding project development.
“Science must be shareable and practical,” she said. “If I learn something, I want others to use it better.”
As Nigeria faces underfunded surveillance and an overstretched veterinary workforce, voices like hers highlight not just the problems but the steady work of building capacity from within. Genomics alone won’t solve health crises.
But, as Ogundipe puts it, “It gives us a better lens to ask the right questions.”
She believes the next step is better systems, training, funding, and recognition to position veterinary science at Nigeria’s public health core.