The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday awarded more than N234million in research grants to five beneficiaries of its Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme.
The recipients of the grants were Professor of Epidemiology, Olufemi Babalola, who got a grant of N50million and Professor of Microbiology, Ikechukwu Okoli, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, who also got N50 million grant.
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Others are: Dr Garba Bubah from Jigawa State Polytechnic, who received N42.1million grant, while Dr John Ogedemgbe from University of Abuja, and Dr Otega Ejofodomi, an Electrical Engineering lecturer from the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, received N50million and N42.4 million, respectively.
Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, in a goodwill message at the event, commended CBN for providing support to the health sector, especially with the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said the HSRDIS was part of the apex bank‘s policy response to COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that the idea was to help strengthen Nigeria‘s public healthcare system with innovative financing into new and improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to fight infectious diseases.
Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragilities of Nigeria‘s healthcare delivery system.
Emefiele said that a healthy and safe workplace was necessary for continuous economic growth as well as stability of the financial system.
He described healthcare as the bedrock of the development of any nation, which deserved adequate funding for its research and development. (NAN)
