A Growing Arsenal for Cutting-Edge Research
This latest acquisition is a testament to ABUAD's ongoing commitment to fostering a robust research environment. According to Tunde Olofintila, ABUAD's Director of Corporate Affairs, the state-of-the-art equipment has already been delivered and complements previous significant research grants awarded to other accomplished researchers at the institution.
Professor Ogunmodede's achievement builds upon a strong foundation of successful grant acquisitions. Notably, Professor Pius Okiki, Professor of Microbiology and Provost of the College of Sciences, secured equipment worth $221,041.98 (₦356 million) in 2023. Additionally, Professor Olusegun Adebayo AdeOluwa of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, successfully applied to Seeding Labs in January 2023. This resulted in the university paying a counterpart fund of $27,800 and receiving 53 sophisticated research and science equipment items valued at ₦427.4 million on July 30, 2024. Further enhancing the university's resources, Dr. Juliet Olayinka of the Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, received an Observer 5 Microscope with Fluorescence and Camera from the Africa Microscopy Initiative in November 2024. This valuable microscope, worth $80,000 (₦136 million), was delivered in April of this year.
Championing Quality Research and Global Impact
Aare Afe Babalola, the esteemed Founder of ABUAD, commended the dedicated researchers for their tireless efforts in acquiring this crucial equipment. He lauded their commitment to positioning ABUAD as a leading institution in fulfilling the World Bank's three statutory functions of a university: quality teaching, quality research, and quality impact/engagement.
Babalola emphasized the profound impact the newly acquired equipment will have on the university's research endeavors, particularly in Medicine, Pharmacy, and the Sciences. He highlighted how these resources will aid in the further development of successful products such as Virucidine (an immune system booster syrup), Natucadine (an anti-ageing herbal supplement), and AB-Mal (an anti-malaria capsule). He also underscored the economic benefit, stating that optimal deployment of the equipment would help conserve foreign exchange that would otherwise be spent on importing drugs.
The ABUAD founder further celebrated the university's consistent global recognition. He proudly noted ABUAD's exceptional performance in the latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, where the 15-year-old institution was ranked No. 1 in the world for SDG 7, No. 1 globally in Outreach with a score of 98%, and No. 1 worldwide in Stewardship with a score of 98.2%. Furthermore, ABUAD has consistently held the No. 1 position among all 264 federal, state, and private universities in Nigeria for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, and 2024).
Enhancing Training and Eliminating Overseas Dependencies
Professor Okiki, who, alongside Professor Ogunmodede, showcased the new equipment to the ABUAD founder at the Bogoro Drug Research Centre, lauded Babalola's "unwavering commitment to institutionalizing quality and functional education and for raising a new generation of leaders" since the university's inception on January 4, 2010.
Professor Okiki elaborated on the tangible benefits of the newly acquired equipment. He stated that it will significantly enhance hands-on training and research for both staff and students, particularly those in disciplines such as Medicine and Health Sciences, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, the Sciences, Engineering, the burgeoning 124-unit ABUAD Industrial Research Park, and the ultra-modern 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital. Crucially, he added that the equipment will eliminate the need for staff and students to travel abroad for sample analysis and prevent medical and scientific samples from being sent overseas, thereby streamlining research processes and fostering greater self-sufficiency.
This strategic investment in advanced research infrastructure positions ABUAD at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation in Nigeria and beyond.