At a time when the government of Nigeria restricted human and vehicular movements in Covid-19 lockdown, a team of Nigerian researchers produced viral transport medium used for collection of samples for Covid-19 testing in Osun State and other states in Nigeria.
According to the research lead, Muhibu Musa, an Associate Professor, the innovation was possible because of team work and effective collaboration with other researchers. To him, critical thinking through the processes and principles of medical laboratory procedures is a major means of generating his research ideas.
He said, “Identifying gaps in knowledge , skills and delivery of quality health services to the populace will propel a scientist to explore using God’s gifted skills to answer questions and queries in our health care system, at local and global levels.”
As a Google Scholar with 18 collaborators, the Associate Professor added, “You enter into a collaboration to synergize with others with potentials to deliver on your set goals.”
The former Chairman of Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria posited that Tertiary institution curricula should be reviewed to fortify the entrepreneurial components of every course of study. According to him, isolated entrepreneurship courses does not replace the need to deliberately skew the training of our students towards becoming self-reliant in their fields of studies.
He opined that if the problems of regular power failure and lack of modern equipment could be solved and the environment is created for them to exhibit their skills in solving societal challenges, Nigerian lecturers would do more than they are doing now.
When he was asked about leading a team that constructed a device used to transport samples for Covid-19 tests, he responded, “My team produced viral transport medium used for collection of samples for covid 19 testing in Osun State and other states in Nigeria during a period when there was scarcity in the country due to movement restrictions.”
He added that his team is still responding by producing the VTM to suppliers who approach them for the item, and Independent validation is ongoing on the submitted work.
In order to address the ravaging unemployment rate among Nigerian graduates and make them self-reliant, he advised the review of the curricula to encompass entrepreneurship.