The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has concluded plans to partner with Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) on a clinical research aimed at developing drugs and vaccines for viral infections with special focus on coronavirus pandemic.
Oba Ogunwusi was said to have made this known at his Ile-Oodua palace while receiving reports from his clinical research team.
In a statement signed by his director of media and public affairs, Moses Olafare, the traditional ruler, after the donation of the motorised modular fumigators to Ekiti State on Thursday, April 30, paid a courtesy call on founder of the Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola, to discuss further on moving health of the nation forward.
According to the statement, “Afe Babalola has already invested millions of dollars in the ABUAD College of Medicine which is very outstanding in Africa and he is currently making efforts to upgrade his laboratory to Level 4 Biosafety that can handle very sensitive and other deadly infections like COVID-19.
“There is a need to develop joint clinical research on drugs and vaccines from plants/herbs to fight the COVID-19 infection with its peculiarity in the black race. With this, a lot of vaccines to prevent sensitive and deadly infections will be rolled out for use globally.”
“Oba Ogunwusi used the occasion to call on Nigerian government and wealthy people in the country to support the university researchers and partner on massive industrial revolution that will enable internal solutions to national challenges.”
