By Chima Nwafo
It was a 17th-century Catholic mathematician, Blaise Pascal, who said, “All of humanity’s problem stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room ALONE” (emphasis mine). Rhik Samadder who drew attention to this in The Guardian of London, April, 7, noted that “with more than half a planet confined indoors, …. Pascal would have been confounded by 2020.” But the philosopher’s assertion was like a direct hit at the source of the Black man’s problems: “Inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” However, the lockdown and social-distancing seem to be teaching us some lessons on the merits of sitting down alone in a room and think. Nigerians have sprung a surprise in this area of creative thinking of late, whether driven by fear of coronavirus or forced to sit down and meditate.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it’s quite a surprise that the four-month-old Wuhan, China-born pandemic, now decimating lives faster than any other infection and compelling a lockdown of cities and states globally has brought out the best in some Nigerian universities and students. For whatever reasons, our universities have not played any visible role in the field of research and inventions – both in the natural and social sciences. Nigerian universities, through their two belligerent and contentious unions – ASUU and SSANU – are more in the news as labour unions who care less about the academic and social welfare of their students as well as the absence of learning infrastructures in tertiary institutions.
That is partly why the Nigerian economy has been in a parlous state for decades, despite the bogus claim of the largest economy in Africa: Yet, no electricity, no potable water, low industrial output, and heavily dependent on import, which explains why the naira is on a downward trend. The dependence on imports has equally manifested during this global war on coronavirus pandemic. The Minister of Health Prof Osagie Ehanire and Secretary to Government of the Federation/Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha has been consistent in their appeal and belief on foreign supplies and faith in Chinese medical personnel. Amid such fait accompli mindset, it was quite refreshing to read of diverse inventions from different institutions, including the bold admission of a state governor that he used Nigerian herbs to treat self during self-isolation after testing positive of COVID-19. Few of his peers would admit that he used herbs when he can afford the best of orthodox prescription available both personally and at state expense.
First, on April 6, News Express reported the breakthrough from a state university in the South-east: “The Centre for Epidemiology and Climate Research, Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU), has developed a Geographical Tracking Device and Live COVID-19 Risk Map for Abia State and Nigeria. The devices would assist in monitoring the movement of Coronavirus in Abia State and Nigeria, as well as, assist planners in checking any impending threat by the disease in the State and the country.
“This breakthrough is coming on the heels of commercial production of ABSU hand sanitisers and nose masks that meet World Health Organisation and International Standards. The university embarked on its research and mass production since the spread of COVID-19 to Nigeria.
The devices are scientific breakthroughs in the Centre for Epidiomology and Climate Research of ABSU led by the Head of Department, Geography and Planning, Dr. Felix Ike.”
The inventions include “Geographical tracking and mapping of COVID-19 in Nigeria; Live Risk Map for COVID-19 in Nigeria; Live COVID-19 Risk Map for Abia State, and Development of COVID-19 Early Warning System (EWS) for Aba and Umuahia, Abia State.”
On the same day, Nigerian Tribune reported: “Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has disclosed what he did in isolation in order to become negative of the coronavirus. Speaking on phone with Fresh FM, a radio station based in the state, Makinde gave an account of his time in isolation and how he was able to test negative after earlier testing positive. In boosting his immunity to overcome the virus, he said he consumed Vitamin C, Carrots as well as Blackseed oil mixed with Honey. He consequently urged all residents of the state not to fret, saying that local solutions existed to boost immunity and overcome the virus.”
Others are two inspiring endeavours from the North. “On Wednesday, April 8, PRNigeria captured the creativity of a Gombe State-born 20-year-old student: “Mr. Usman Dalhatu, a 200-level student of Mechanical Engineering at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in Kaduna State, has designed and produced a manual ventilator, to be used in treating coronavirus patients. Dalhatu, who just clocked 20, told PRNigeria that he decided to fabricate the manual ventilator as part of efforts to assist the Federal Government contain the pandemic, whose cases has been on the rise in the country. He added: “The manual ventilator comprises of a motor, a disk that converts circular motion into linear motion, shaft, carbon dioxide intake and outlet, oxygen outlet, and a voltmeter.” He pleaded for support from the Federal Government.
Same April 8, came a News Agency of Nigeria finding in Bauchi State, North-east: “The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi has invented a disinfection machine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Prof. Muhammad Abdulazeez, Vice-Chancellor of the University disclosed this while speaking at the unveiling of the machine in Bauchi on Tuesday.
He explained that the invention of the machine was in line with the mandate of the university as a centre of research and invention, adding: “Technologists, engineers and other professionals in the university have fabricated a prototype of a ventilator which is cost-effective and efficient. The team also fabricated an aerosol box that can be used to protect medical doctors and other medical personnel treating patient that has tested positive for the virus by placing the box to cover the head, mouth and nose of the patient.”
While the breaks from universities are of greater interest, one must not ignore the reported construction of a ventilator and disinfectant machine by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), given its timeliness.
According to The Nation: “To fight the Coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, the Federal Government has inaugurated (sic) made-in-Nigeria ventilator. It also opened disinfectant tunnels and doorways that will be placed at the entrance of public institutions, schools and malls that are produced with censors.”
The report credited to the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mohammed Abdullahi, who said that NASENI, an agency under the ministry produced the equipment in response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s “call to find a solution to handling the pandemic.” He said that the government will make NASENI produce the ventilators and disinfectants in large quantities for distribution to different parts of the country to curb the spread of the virus.
Notwithstanding that Nigeria has a history of indifference to local research findings and inventions, let us cue on Abdullahi’s assurance that the President called for a solution to handling the pandemic. As a result, the Federal Government should be interested in the foregoing local inventions within so short a time – all aimed at providing a solution to the deadly COVID-19. If the Buhari administration is willing to fund mass production of the NASENI ventilators and disinfection machine, nothing stops it from making necessary funds available to the relevant universities for mass production of their novel inventions since all are targeted at checkmating further spread of the accelerating virus.
This is a big challenge to political contactors pledging humongous sums of money now running into billions. If these monies have been redeemed as pledged, whether domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria or the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, funds should be made available to the institutions and Dalhatu, the ABU student who specifically pleaded for government support to enable him to accomplish ongoing research and construction of the manual ventilator. For once, let the billion-naira Nigerian companies stand to be seen as partnering with the universities for mass production of these inventions: They are timely responses to health- and life-threatening ailment claiming lives more than war. For example, the UK death rate (HuffPost, April 10) rose to 953 in 24 hours. Not even World War II killed that much in one sector.
An interesting coincidence about Dalhatu is that he is a student in the same department at ABU where Prof Gordian Obumneme Ezekwe lectured until the 1966 pogrom. Ezekwe, a mechanical engineer, played a key role in Biafra’s foremost Research and Production (RAP), makers of the famous Ogbunigwe. He was also the pioneer Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI from 1992 to 1997. This could be an opportunity for NASENI to announce its presence to the taxpayer that has sustained it for 28 years.
*Nwafo, Consulting Editor, News Express, can be reached on: [email protected]; +2348029334754
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