Local Scientists Can Save Nigeria…If Given a Chance-Prof Iwu

A leading scientist, Professor Maurice Iwu has canvassed for the development of home grown solutions to tackle health challenges in Nigeria and other developing countries of the world. This is even as he frowned at the over reliance on the Western countries in the quest to solve the nation’s health challenges.

Iwu, one of the leading lights in the pharmacy segment of the global health sector, was recently named among the top two per cent of leading scientists in the world by the Stanford University in the United States of America (USA).

Reacting to his selection by the top American university while speaking exclusively to True Vision in Abuja, Iwu regretted the penchant for Nigerians to seek for solutions to all manner of challenges while neglecting home made solutions.

Citing his experience in the management of the CoronaVirus pandemic, the Fulbright Scholar, lamented how the giant strides made by his organization, Bioresources Development Group (BDG) were ignored in the search for the Covid-19 cure.

According to him, “when we came and said that we have a cure for Covid. Nobody gave us the support to say, let us try them out”. 

“It was laughable that when we had Covid-19, we wrote to state governments for them to fund the clinical trials but none of them responded; not even one reply. We went ahead to fund the research on our own and the same people are using the products.

It was only Imo state government that came and were using what we call Immune Fortification Therapy based on three known products that have direct immune boosting properties. We packaged it in a triplicate manner and are given to those who are vulnerable so that they do not succumb to the Covid.

” Even now for example, what people are more interested are access to products developed by other people and not how do we develop our own products. It is a mindset issue and has nothing to do with our scientists”, he further stated. 

On his selection by Stanford University as one of the top scientists of the world, Iwu stated that he felt humbled to be in that elite global scientist list.

“I feel humbled. I never expected such recognition. I am a professional scientist that is what I do for a living”, he stated.

His words: “I was also surprised that from this part of the world, I was the only non-university based scientist. That, for me, is a big surprise. That for me is also a surprise especially when you check in terms of what happens in other parts of the world, in America particularly, you will find out that research work is done mainly in the industries. 

“That is actually why their economy is booming because there is a translation of research to products and services. And that is why I felt honoured that my name made the list”, he further stated.

He regretted that “not much research takes place in the private sector and that is really sad because we have built a disconnect between research and development, then production”.

According to him, Nigeria is “still in the quaternary aspect of pharmacy; namely buying and selling of pharmaceutical products and that is not pharmaceutical services”, pointing out that “the actual call is how we translate research work to goods and services”

Iwu was quick to exonerate Nigerian scientists as according to him, “you will be surprised that there is no cutting edge science that Nigerians did not contribute. Not even one. But it is that ability to translate that research to goods and services. And I tell you, it is not the fault of the scientists”. 

“The Nigerian scientists are doing what they know how to do best, namely; being able to discover knowledge, being able to teach that knowledge and being able to consolidate or being able to amplify that knowledge base.

“That is their work and they have done that creditably well. But that small element of translating research to development and production and applied knowledge of solving human problem is missing”, 

He further lamented that absence of boundary organizations that would go seek out for funds and attract venture capitals in order to translate this research to goods and services”

He blamed the penchant to look outside for solutions that could be found at home to leadership, just as he commended the efforts of the ministry of science and technology under the leadership of Dr Ogbonnaya Onu in trying to change the narrative.

“The current minister of science and technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, who is a scientist himself seems to realize the problem and is working towards having a policy redirection”, he noted.

Iwu however, remarked that “the sad aspect of it is that the scientific endeavour is not charismatic. If you say that somebody is a minister for science and technology, people will not even look at the person a second time. But if you say that somebody is the minister of finance or minster of agriculture, everybody will turn.

“But science and technology is the hub and the key. So, it is a policy issue. For example, Nigeria established six technology universities (I don’t even how many of such universities we have now), the universities did not make much impact because the secondary level which is deliberate funding of research and development was not available deliberately”

“We can do what the Japanese, the South Koreans and the Singaporeans did. You do not necessarily have to invent everything but you translate researches into products and services. Remember when the Japanese came into the technological scene, they were being laughed at and people were making joke of them. But now, the same Japanese are in the forefront of technological advancements.

“The same thing happened with South Korea not long ago. Deliberately, they said this is where we want to go and they have been able to put their money into innovation and creativity”, Iwu further stated.