President Muhammadu Buhari has approved funding of Six Medical Simulation, Research and Training Facilities in Colleges of Medicine.
The approval is to facilitate research funding through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The development is contained in a statement issued in Abuja by TETFund’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Ngoba Briggs.
The statement says the facilities will aid the setting up of Molecular Science Laboratories with capacity to test and diagnose COVID-19, Lassa Fever, and other related viral diseases.
The statement notes that the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, has directed Executive Secretary of the fund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro, to select a university in each of the six geo-political zones, where the projects will be executed.
It affirms that TETFund has been mandated to establish 12 Medical Centers of Excellence to be hosted by first, second and third generation universities.
The statement stresses that besides ongoing research work in response to COVID-19 and similar diseases through the TETFund National Research Fund (NRF), the Research Community of the ministry is to come up with any other contributions.
This according to the statement is to support the commendable effort of the Presidential Task Force (PTF), in responding to the threat of COVID-19 in Nigeria.