By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State has officially commissioned a Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) to conduct cutting-edge research on critical local health challenges.
In a speech at the occasion, Governor Buni said the centre, located within the Yobe State University, Damaturu, cost the government over $800 million. The money include over $10 million equipment donated by Professor Mahmoud Bukar Maina, the BioRTC F irector respectively.
According to him, already, the centre’s initial research focuses on the high prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in riverbank communities, with preliminary findings pointing to a possible environmental cause.
The centre, designed for inclusive and locally relevant research, has also developed low-cost, battery-powered microscopes to aid rural healthcare.
Governor Mala Buni who inaugurated the centre said, the investment would make the state a reference for cutting-edge biomedical research and global collaboration.
He noted that “For too long, Africa has depended on research conducted in different climates, environments and cultures without accounting for our genetic diversity,” adding that the new facility will correct this long-standing imbalance in global medical research.
The governor said that the state has provided dialysis support to kidney disease victims, and is setting up a new dialysis centre in Gashua this year to provide more support to victims.
Buni appealed to the Federal Government to set up a Federal Kidney Disease Centre in Yobe in view of the high rate of kidney cases in the state.
He also urged the Federal Ministry of Health to partner with BioRTC in creating affordable diagnostic programmes for diseases like malaria.
In his remarks, the Director of BioRTC, Professor Maina described the commissioning of the facility as “the opening of a possibility,” signifying Nigeria’s shift from a consumer to a producer of world-class science.
He noted that scientists from institutions like the Janelia Research Campus in the U.S. have hailed BioRTC as “an exemplary model for building research capacity in underdeveloped regions.”
Highlighting ongoing projects, Professor Maina mentioned a comprehensive CKD study in the Bade Emirate involving over 3,000 samples and the establishment of the first BioRTC–University of Maiduguri MSc and PhD Neuroscience Programme in Nigeria.
He appealed for sustained state support for staffing and expansion, which Governor Buni approved immediately.
“With a strong sense of fulfilment, I invite everyone to celebrate this commitment to our vision of ‘Yobe State First.’
“This is what responsible governance demands: policy guided by evidence and investment guided by the health needs of our people,” the director said.
