The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, and Professor of Immunoheamatology and HIV Medicine, Alani Sulaimon Akanmu, have berated the Federal Government for what they describe as indifference to health research, citing over-reliance on international funding for indigenous investigations.
The healthcare leaders, who called for improved funding for local research, say such an effort will drive development through innovative ideas and approaches, while also boosting human capacity.
They also pointed out the implications of over-dependence on international agencies for indigenous research funding, saying the interest of donors may conflict with the immediate needs of the country.
Speaking in separate interviews at the send-off ceremony organised for the outgoing Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Yaba, Lagos, Prof. Babatunde Lawal Salako, the notable scientists said it is high time Nigeria paid attention to research and development for economic growth.
According to Prof. Abayomi, “It is a shame that we rely on external funding for our own indigenous research, because external funding comes with its own agenda. They say, ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune’, so we need to call our own tune in Nigeria.
“We need to dedicate enough money to research institutions so that they can do local research to develop the local innovation pipelines. Just like the cocoa bean that they export to America and Europe to make fine chocolate, let us do our research here to keep the innovation and intellectual property in Nigeria, and be able to drive change.
“That’s why they always put research and development together. It’s only with the research that you get the development. It’s only with the research that you get the innovation pipelines.”
The Lagos health commissioner further emphasised that adequate allocation of resources to health research is a hallmark of every civilised society. He added that government must see the necessity of formulating policies In favour of investment in research and development.
Taking cues from the performance of the outgoing NIMR DG, Abayomi stated that people at the helms of affairs can attest to the importance of funding local research, particularly with the role the agency played in the fight against COVID-19, saying it was the fruit of research, innovation and development.
“You see, that’s why they call it research and development. Without the research, your community cannot develop and so government has to realise that they need to put resources into research so that the fruit of research can result in development,” the commissioner said.
For Prof. Akanmu, the Federal Government needs to completely change its orientation about investment in the health sector, which he describes as the backbone of the health of the populace.
He cited the example of the 2024 health budget, saying it is nothing in comparison with what obtains in a country like the USA, where the allocation to a single unit of their health ministry – the National Institute of Health (NIH) – is more than the total health budget of Nigeria.
Akanmu, a staff of College of Medicine, University of Lagos and guest lecturer at the occasion, highlighted the benefits of a well-funded health sector and research & development unit, saying aside from ensuring medicine security, it also preserve lives and intellectual properties, boosts tourism, and promotes international exchange programmes, among others.
In his words: “Our government needs to invest in research and development because, looking at the example of the NIH, a unit in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, its budget for 2024 is more than the total budget for health in Nigeria in 2024. $51 billion to support health research – far more than the Nigeria’s $36.7 billion health allocation for 2024.”
