The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prof. Oyewale Tomori

  • Publicise research findings for national growth, scientists told

    President, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), Prof Oyewale Tomori, has urged scientists to publicise their findings to promote national development.

    Tomori,  said in Lagos that scientists embark on researches regularly without channelling their findings to the authority for action.

    The challenges scientists are facing, he said, are communication gaps and poor networking between policy makers and researchers.

    “There is no functional partnership between researchers and policy makers to attract strong political commitment to developing scientific innovation.

    “Many scientists carry out research and they lock themselves in the test tube of their research and never tell anybody what they are doing.

    “Disseminating it and letting people know is what will show your relevance to the people. Because if you are doing all these things and nobody knows about it, then no one will know your relevance.”

    He said, “I have always maintained that one of the errors we as scientists have made in this country is because, we we are a bit too proud,  thinking that we are educated academics, or we are researchers.

    “We do not want to talk to those politicians. That is the mistake we have made all these years. Go to the University of Ibadan (UI), you will find 5000 publications on malaria and our people are still getting malaria.

    “So, what happened to all the 5000? Unless people know and make use of it for the good of the people, then something is wrong. It is important for us to get together with then, the politicians, let them know, let them appreciate what is happening. We are helping our country.”

    Prof Tomori said, “They own the money, and unless they know what we are telling, they would never know where to put the money.

    “So, we need to work with them whatever it takes, let them know that there are other areas where they can spend money“.

  • ‘Split in NGF affecting polio eradication programme’

    The crack in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) may affect the country’s efforts at eradicating polio by 2014, an expert in that field has said.

    Besides, the governors are focusing more on the 2015 general elections to the detriment of the polio eradication campaign.

    The Chairman Experts Review Committee (ERC) on Polio Routine Immunization in Nigeria, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, made the assertion on Wednesday in Abuja at the opening of the 27th meeting of stakeholders on polio management and eradication in the country.

    The meeting holds every six months to review the progress, the challenges and also assess the risk in polio eradication programme.

    The erudite professor of Virology noted that the commitment of the governors to the polio eradication campaign has waned seriously since the split.

    Prof .Oyewale, who was responding to questions from journalists said: “I think what we saw in 2013 was because the governors were very well committed to the project.

    “I think the commitment has waned; let’s be frank with each other. They’ve diverted their attention.

    “You know all that happened with all the split in the Governors’ Forum. That has affected eradication. Unfortunately, we’ll not see the effect of this, until say next year.”

    He explained that the vigour and the level of commitment put in by the governors now cannot be compared; stressing “the performance of what they did in 2012 was brought into 2013 to what it is. If you didn’t do well in 2013, we might begin to see. I think we are still seeing the effects of their commitments in 2012 and 2013. And, that is why we are not having polio now.

    ” However, remember, we are not in the high season yet. Come the raining season, especially in May, June, July, if we overcome that, then, we’ll know that we are off the problem. But, what we do now, between now and the end of the year will determine whether we’ll eradicate polio at the right time,” he stated.

     

  • Science Academy urges members to identify societal needs

    Scientists in Africa have been asked to work on their needs to enhance the living standard of the citizenry, President, Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof Oyewale Tomori has said.

    He made this call at the lecture titled:The role of academies of science in promoting research and development in Africa.

    It was organised by the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) at the International Conference Centre, International Institute of Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.

    The don, who lamented Nigeria’s technological failure, said it was only when the scientists identify their societal needs that their relevance would be valued and accorded recognition.

    According to him, part of the reasons there had been failure not only in Nigeria, but across Africa included non-commercialisation, licenced or patented research work/result.

    Also, the NAS chief identified uncoordinated research activities in institutions, non-linkage of research to industries/entrepreneurs, non-target of research to national primary needs and the engagement of researchers in only issues relevant to personal needs and promotion.

    To redress the situation, the Prof Tomori insisted that scientists must be the voice of science for development, build clusters for collaboration, inform government and industries, market research results and collaborate with other academies.

    Similarly, Tomori advocated the need for the enlightenment of the public by scientists, build science centers and museums in towns and cities, work to introduce science into “our education system from the kindergarten level”.

    In his welcome address, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, (UI), Prof Isaac Folorunso Adewole, called on the participants described as ‘the pioneer set of CARTA doctoral trainees’ to expand the contribution of Africa to knowledge generation and train the next generation of intellectuals.

     

    Adewole, a Fellow of the Academy noted that: “there has been unprecedented growth in student enrollment and the expansion of training programmes, especially at the undergraduate level in many African nations, including Nigeria and other countries represented in CARTA.

    “This demands a commensurate expansion in doctoral training in order to meet the human resources needs of the new institutions as well as the existing ones. Africa’s contribution to global scientific output is minuscule and it has further declined over the past decade”

     

  • 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.”