Prof. Maurice Iwu, the Chairman, Bio-Resources Development Group, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to sponsor further research on the Ebola Virus Disease to prevent another outbreak.
Iwu, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, spoke of the need for the research to be extended to other diseases.
The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), also underscored the need for continuous funding of medical research to prevent the outbreak of any deadly disease such as in the case of the Ebola virus.
“We do not have to wait until Ebola strike us again before we start doing something about it. We should not be complacent yet. We should still be on our guards.
“And that is why right now, we have even started thinking about other diseases other than Ebola because we live in a tropical country and we should anticipate these things.
“So, in terms of research, there is this missing link of converting it from purely academic research.
“Not that academic research is not important, but it has to be product-oriented, problem-solving, targeted research to solve specific problems.
“But what is sad is not funding research; not trying to anticipate what could happen and not also thinking about the worst-case-scenario.“
The former INEC chair urged medical professionals, scientists and researchers to work closely and come up with strategies that would help bridge the gaps in the research on the outbreak of diseases in Nigeria and in the African continent.
