TETFund-sponsored COVID-19 vaccine ready for trial Nov

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) sponsored COVID-19 vaccine project would undergo its first clinical trial in November.

The project, which was a mega research grant intervention tagged: ‘Accelerated Development of COVID-19 vaccines using innovative technological approach’ was a collaborative effort involving cluster researchers from five different institutions to consolidate problem-solving research and promote innovation in Nigeria.

TETFund awarded N1,250,000,000.00, distributed to four clusters of researchers.

One of the clusters, which is the Vaccine Production Cluster, got a total grant of N450m

The Vaccine Production Cluster was made up of researchers from the National Veterinary Research Institute Vom, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Jos, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Lagos and National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria.

Vice Chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Professor Lawal Bilbis, who led the team of researchers to brief the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono on the progress so far, explained that they were able to make the breakthrough through the maximum support of the Fund.

In a statement by the Ag. Director, Public Affairs, Abdulmumin Oniyangi, Bilbis recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged and unleashed untold hardship on humanity globally, noting that Nigeria was only saved by divine intervention since the nation was not prepared for such eventuality.

He said: “TETFund believed in us and supported us to get to where we are now. That is why we have come to give a firsthand report on the progress made so far.”

A presentation by Dr. Bashir Bello of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto revealed that it has become a matter of urgency for Africa to join the rest of the world in the production of its own vaccine, as it was estimated that the continent currently imports 99 percent of its vaccines and consumes 25 percent of global vaccine supply.

He explained that this gave rise to the team coming together to form a consortium and put up a strong proposal with which they approached TETFund for sponsorship under its research and development intervention.

He noted that the team was meticulous in their research by ensuring that all the factors responsible for the re-emergence of different COVID-19 variants were considered to make sure they don’t manifest in future.

Echono lauded the team for the great feat achieved within a time limit to make the country proud with the progress recorded in vaccine production.

He explained that it is a national project, and as such, it has become a national pride, assuring that TETFund would continue to assist the cross-cutting efforts of the researchers to ensure the desired goal is achieved.