Nigeria’s quest to reposition science, research and innovation may finally be approaching a defining moment as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) moves ahead with investment in multi-purpose zonal laboratories across the country’s geopolitical zones.
The project, a strategic national investment, is expected to address decades of inadequate scientific infrastructure that has slowed research, innovation and industrial growth in the country.
It is a carefully designed framework aimed at ensuring that the laboratories are not only equipped with world-class facilities, but also managed sustainably to meet international standards.
The project is expected to serve universities, researchers, industries and the wider scientific community, while reducing Nigeria’s dependence on foreign laboratories for advanced testing and research analysis.
Speaking while receiving the report on the equipment of the laboratories recently in Abuja, TETFund executive secretary, Arch Sonny Echono expressed appreciation to the committee for a painstaking and patriotic assignment undertaken in the national interest.
He recalled that the idea of establishing zonal laboratories had existed for more than a decade but was initially shelved after the Federal Government decided to establish new universities in states without federal institutions.
According to him, current realities have shown clearly that Nigeria urgently requires world-class research infrastructure to support industrialisation, technological innovation and economic growth.
He lamented the continued dependence on foreign countries for laboratory analysis and scientific testing, saying it was unacceptable that Nigerian samples were still being taken to countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa and even Ghana for basic analysis.
Echono recalled the difficulties Nigeria experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to inadequate laboratory facilities, explaining that delays in obtaining test results worsened the spread of infections across the country.
He also noted that many research projects in Nigerian universities had either been abandoned or compromised because researchers lacked access to stable power supply, modern equipment and proper scientific infrastructure.
To address funding limitations, Echono explained that the laboratory projects were being executed in phases, with Kano among the first set expected to become operational.
He disclosed that the Kano facility could be ready for equipment installation before August, while three others are projected for completion by February next year.
According to him, TETFund deliberately decided to synchronise equipment procurement with the completion of the facilities to avoid commissioning empty buildings.
Echono assured stakeholders that the reports submitted by the committee, especially recommendations on governance and sustainability, would be studied carefully to ensure proper management and maintenance of the laboratories.
Part of the sustainability plan, he explained, involves strong collaboration with industries and the organised private sector, particularly because the locations of the facilities were selected partly based on proximity and accessibility to industrial clusters.
He added that although the laboratories would be located within universities, they would operate under quasi-autonomous arrangements that would enable them to establish partnerships, undertake commercial activities and generate revenue for sustainability.
He said; “Our country is in dear need of these facilities as the engines of growth to stimulate our industrial transformation and research.
“The flagship of these efforts are these multi-purpose laboratories. They will wipe away our sense of shame and restore our national pride.
“We thought it wise rather than wait and commission empty buildings, it was good to synchronise also the equipment phase so we will start the equipment procurement and installation from Kano that is ready to receive them.
“We want to ensure that the right equipment and the right quality are what we get, even if we need to send some committee members for pre-shipment inspection,” he added.
