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Tag: Nigerian Academy of Science

  • 2018 NAS Gold Medal co-winners honoured in Lagos

    The President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Mosto Onuoha, has commended Nigerian scientists for excellent research prowess which has put the country in the forefront of global recognition.

    Speaking at the official presentation of the 2018 NAS Gold Medal for Life Sciences to the three distinguished Nigerian scientists who were co-winners for 2018, Prof. Onuoha said the achievements of the three co-winners were of local relevance to the problems of the African region and has internal resonance of high-level scientific knowledge.

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    The presentation, which was witnessed by the cream la cream of Nigerian academia, were given to Dr. Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Prof. Wasiu Lanre Adeyemo of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos; and Prof. Temidayo Olusade Ogundiran of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

    Prof Onuoha paid glowing tributes to the dons for their significant scientific achievements in using cutting edge and expertise of basis of cleft and palate (CLP) in sub-Sahara Africa describing it as “an original contribution to the understanding genetic disparity in cancer between people of African descent and other areas”.

    In his citation, Prof. Adeyemo was noted for his research accomplishment in the area of molecular genetics of the environmental etiology of cleft up and palate (CLP) and craniofacial defects.

    Professor Adeyemo’s research has also promoted collaborative activities between the University of Lagos, University of Iowa, University of Pittsburg, University of Dundee and other African universities.

    “Professor Adeyemo and his research group have taken several giant steps towards understanding the genetics causes of non-syndromic clefts in Nigeria and African populations.”

    Dr. Emmanuel Balogun was noted in his citation that: “His expertise cuts across the life sciences and focused on molecular Parasitology, Structural Biology and Genomics which was applicable for drug discovery studies against African-endemic tropical diseases.

    According to the citation, Dr. Balogun and his research group discovered that “midgut of mosquitoes contain a 45.kDA glycoprotein that is capable of killing trypanosomes, These have led to ongoing efforts in Germany towards producing transgenic tsetse flies containing the mosquito glycoprotein as a means of biological control of the endemic disease.

    Citation of Prof. Temidayo Olusade Ogundana showed that his research work has been focusing on breast cancer as a genetically heterogeneous disease with polygenic pattern of inheritance.

  • Vitafoam signs MoU with Nigerian Academy of Science

    A major stakeholder in the foam industry, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc. has propped up her Corporate Social Responsibility by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Academy of Science to promote the study of sciences.

    With the MoU, which will last three years at the first instance, Vitafoam will be partnering the academy in sponsoring roundtable conferences after social publications and gathering of scientists nationwide for brainstorming to ensure science is tailored towards the needs of Nigerian industries.

    At the signing of the MoU on Tuesday in Lagos, the Managing Director/CEO of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc,Mr. TaiwoAdeniyi, said Vitafoam, which has been in existence for over 56 years, has been contributing its quota to the scientific development of the country.

    He stressed the need for Nigerian scientists to see how they can assist in tailoring science to the requirement of our industries.

    Mr. Adeniyi commended the Nigerian media for creating weekly science page in their newspapers, but “enjoined them to discard writing on general science but specifically write on the needs of the society”.

    He disclosed that Vitafoam has been contributing to the development of science in the past, adding that, “Vitafoam is building a Central Research Conference Centre at the University of Lagos which will be commissioned soon”.

    An elated president of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Mosto Onuoha commended Vitafoam for this initiative, noting that the relationship “is geared towards maximizing the benefits of science and society”

    He noted that Vitafoam had been in the forefront of sponsoring the academy’s annual Award of Excellence and urged other corporate bodies to emulate Vitafoams laudable gesture.

    Professor Onuoha disclosed that the academy had no laboratory, but could only liaise with universities in terms of training the graduate who must have started their studies from the secondary school level, adding that, “NAS believes in catching them young”.

  • Scientists, NGO discuss regional educational development

    Africa can overcome challenges mounted against achieving the Education for All goal.

    This was the summary of a two-day regional stakeholders’ consultative meeting on balanced and inclusive education held in Lagos.

    It was organised by the Education Relief Foundation (ERF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Switzerland, and the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS).

    Speaking on the Nigerian experience in her keynote address, NAS Vice-President, Prof Ekanem Ikpi Braide said Nigeria was faced with an emergency in the education sector occasioned by insurgency and economic recession.

    Prof Braide said: “In normal situations, this challenge could easily be surmounted with intensified commitment and re-vitalisation of intervention strategies. However, in present time, situations such as insecurity, conflict and recession throw up new dimensions of challenges in Nigeria as in other countries. Some more questions arise- How does one handle education in conflict situations? How does one handle education in Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camps where the priority needs are security, food, shelter and health care; where the focus is on preventing death, emotional instability and need induced crime? How does one handle education in situations where populations are constantly moving away from dangerous conflict zones? Targeting such populations for attention is like targeting moving objects.”

    To address the challenges, Prof Braide called for increased access and quality.

    She said: “Attention should be given to improving access to education. The poor, the differently able, the girl-child and other marginalised groups are missing in the classrooms. UNESCO Institute of Statistics 2005 reveals that, globally, 115million children of primary school age were out of school in 2001 to 2002 with Sub Saharan Africa accounting for 45 million and South Asia accounting for 42 million. The Nigerian National Literacy Survey results (NBS 2009) show 34.3 percent as out of school rate and 20.7 percent as dropout rate for Nigeria.

    “Efforts should be intensified on improvement of quality of education because education must be of the right quality to be useful to the individual, community and nation. Quality of curriculum, facilities and teachers need to be improved upon. The content of curriculum should be revised and made appropriate for the desired outcome. A close look at the grassroots reveals a deficit of basic physical facilities as well as services in many schools particularly in remote areas. In such schools, the environment is not conducive for learning.”

    President, ERF, Shaikh Manssour B. Mussallam said the group serves to develop and promote a new approach to education that emphasises the importance of balance and inclusivity in the curriculum offered to young people.

    Shaikh Mussallam said ERF believes that in a globalised world with unprecedented movement of people across continents, evidence-based research must be conducted to confirm that only a curriculum with a holistic view on the history of civilisation around the globe can, in the long term, be a sustainable solution to achieving inclusion, global collaborations, and non-discrimination reflecting the contribution of diverse cultures and civilisations to a modern world.

  • World leaders commit $5.5bn to tackle polio

    A whopping $5.5billion is required to make the world polio free in 2018, renowned professor of virology and President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, has said.

    He disclosed this at a Media Round Table on Vaccines organised by the African Health Journalists Association (AHJA), in Lagos, recently.

    According to Tomori, the Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan was shared at the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, where world leaders showed their support through a series of historic commitments, including: the UK’s Department for International Development committed GBP£300 million to eradication.

    The Gates Foundation pledged US$1.8 billion, and a new group of philanthropists committed an additional total US$335 million.

    His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, pledged US$120 million. Qatar Charity and the Gates Foundation signed a co-operation agreement in support of the eradication effort.

    The commitments bring the world almost three-quarters of the way to the US$5.5 billion needed to fully fund the plan.

    According to him, “a total of $3billion has so far being raised leaving a shortfall of $2.5billion.”

    While noting that the Global Vaccine Action Plan by the World Health Assembly had set 2018 as the new target for the global eradication of polio, Nigeria’s eradication campaign faces substantial challenges, this year’s remarkable progress – a nearly 50% drop in cases in 2013 compared to last year, stressing that Nigeria must ensure that no single case of polio is reported anywhere in the country by 2014.

    “The hope is that by the year 2014, the world will have the last country with the last case of polio and by 2018, the world will be declared free of polio. We are taking a gamble because the year 2014 is only subject to the fact that Nigeria, Afghanistan or Pakistan (the only three remaining endemic countries) will not have any case of polio in 2014. If we do have any of these countries having one case by 2014 it means we have to shift the year of eradication by an extra year. It is thus very important that we, as a country, must play our role otherwise we will be holding the world back,” he declared.

    Miffed by what he described as the lip-service paid to the polio campaign, Prof. Tomori warned that all levels of government must gird up their loins to ensure a polio-free Nigeria. “Has our president ever said anything on polio without stimulation from outside? The only time we’ve heard him make pronouncements are when he was invited by the Commonwealth, the United Nations or when Bill Gate came. We are not putting enough into polio (eradication.),” he further stated, adding that the nation must also involve and engage the communities to win the polio war.”