Uniliorin, ABUAD scientists to develop medicinal, anti-cancer rice

Scientists from the University of Ilorin and their counterparts from Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), are finalising arrangements on a project to develop an improved rice variety with medicinal potential against cancer disease.

This is one of the fall-outs of the collaboration agreement between the two institutions for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on February 2, 2017.

According to a statement by the authorities of the University of Ilorin, made available to journalists in Ilorin on Monday, the N50 million project will be carried out over a four-year period.

Expected to be funded from the National Research Fund of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) the project aims at enhancing the well-being of rice farmers and improving the health conditions of rice consumers in the country.

The main Research Collaborators are Prof. S. A. Onasanya, an Education Technology and Training Expert, Unilorin; Dr. M. V. Awolola, an Industrial Chemist, Unilorin; Prof. Amos Onasanya, a Biochemist, Geneticist and Molecular Plant Pathologist, ABUAD; Prof. O. O. Ojo, a Chemist, ABUAD; and Dr. P. A. Okiki, an Animal Health Expert, ABUAD.

Other Research Collaborators on the project are Dr. M. Sow, a Rice breeder and Geneticist from Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice); Dr. F. Nwilene, Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice); and Dr. Abo M. Emmanuel, a Rice Expert from the National Cereal Research Institute.

Also expected to join the Research team is Dr. Elizabeth P. Ryan, a Toxicologist from Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.

In his remarks during the MoU signing ceremony in Ado-Ekiti penultimate Thursday, the Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Prof. Michael Ajisafe, disclosed that the MoU with the University of Ilorin was the 13th the institution would be signing into with other universities both in Nigeria and abroad since its establishment seven years ago.

The ABUAD Vice-Chancellor said, “We are happy to partner with Unilorin, which is the most peaceful University in the country. And we are sure that, based on its antecedents, the partnership will work”.

Also in his remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Technology and Innovations), University of Ilorin, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Gabriel Olatunji, disclosed that the research collaboration was in pursuit of the University’s sustained bid for all-round development of the nation’s education system, saying that the country stands to gain a lot from it.

Stressing that Unilorin is happy to enter into the collaboration, Prof Olatunji assured the management of ABUAD that the institution would play its part very well so that the MoU would achieve its aim. According to him, “This MoU should not be an ordinary paper MoU, it must be practical and not just theoretical”.