Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has described the appointment of Prof. Kolawole Mathew of Unilorin into the Ministerial Advisory COVID-19 Committee in Nigeria as a welcome development.
Mr Kunle Akogun, the Director of Corporate Affairs of the university, said in a statement that the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, appointed Kolawole, a Director of Unilorin’s Institute of Molecular Science and Biotechnology (IMSB) into the committee.
He said the committee would serve as a think-thank at the highest level strategic advisory forum on matters related to COVID-19 in Nigeria.
READ ALSO:https://www.thexpressng.com/2020/05/13/covid-19-oyo-records-4-more-cases-discharges-3-patients/
“The 18-man Committee, which is chaired by a Professor of Virology, Oyewole Tomori, was constituted to provide professional advice to the Minister of Health vis-a-vis the health sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria,” he explained.
According to the statement , Abdulkareem said that Unilorin was not surprised with the appointment of Kolawole considering his deep intellect and profound exposure in the field of disease control in Nigeria.
“The VC said that the don has made the institution very proud through his impactful researches and enormous contributions to the growth of knowledge.”
He expressed optimism that the committee would not only come out with measures that would effectively halt the further spread of the virus, but also bring about an enduring panacea to the pandemic.
According to the VC, Kolawole has “recently developed three viable proposals for research on various aspects of the COVID-19 that could eventually lead to the development of vaccines”.
The research, he said, would include molecular epidemiology surveillance for COVID-19 as well as a prototype for the detection of the contagious pandemic disease.
“Kolawole is a respected professional and world renowned expert in infectious diseases.
“Prior to the appointment, Kolawole was focused in the eradication of Poliovirus in Nigeria, and has held several academic and administrative positions since he joined the services of the University,” the spokesman said.
He added that Kolawole is an accomplished Consultant to the World Health Organisation (WHO), astute academic and relentless researcher.
The noted that the don has published over 130 highly-rated articles in several globally respected scientific journals, which have attracted the attention of researchers, scholars and organisations across the globe. (NAN)
