By Chioma Obinna

Indication has emerged that the persistent underinvestment in medical research has left Nigeria trailing India, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom, heightening concern over the nation’s ability to deliver homegrown solutions to widening health challenges.

The warning was issued in Lagos at the November edition of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Monthly Media Chat, where former Minister of Works and Housing and Chairman of the NIMR Foundation Board of Trustees, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, said Nigeria could not afford to remain on the margins of global scientific progress.

“Research is not an academic pastime; it is the foundation of life-changing discoveries,” Fashola said, drawing attention to how everyday objects depend on scientific inquiry. “How many of us are wearing glasses? What would life be like without them? Would we have glasses without research?”

Recalling transformative breakthroughs such as penicillin, he posed a challenge: “What would life be like if the cure for cancer was found here? Don’t you think it is possible?”

Fashola lamented that despite its mandate as the nation’s foremost medical research institution, NIMR has not enjoyed the attention or funding granted to similar bodies in India, South Africa, the United States or the United Kingdom.

He appealed to government, philanthropists and the media to rally behind the Foundation, stressing that members of its Board of Trustees serve voluntarily and contribute personal resources to advance NIMR’s mandate.

Speaking the NIMR’s Director-General, Professor John Oladapo Obafunwa, said Nigeria’s main constraints included gaps in human capital, inadequate long-term research funding and limited capacity-development programmes. He noted that while infrastructure could be financed, scientific talent required sustained fellowships, postdoctoral programmes and partnerships with domestic and international institutions.

“The NIMR Foundation was established to bridge these gaps, mobilise resources beyond what government can provide, and support research that addresses Nigeria’s health priorities,” he said.

In a four-year impact report covering 2021 to 2025, the Chairman of the Foundation, Raji Fashola disclosed that it had mobilised N502 million through donations and seed funding from NIMR.

“Of this amount, N295.9 million was disbursed to research programmes and operations, while N148.9 million was earned as investment income under a SEC-regulated trust fund managed by UTL Trust Management Services Ltd.”

The Foundation’s Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Programme (GMTP) has trained 120 early-career researchers who collectively secured N590.9 million in new research grants and N197.3 million in travel awards and fellowships.

They also produced 242 scientific papers, with seven already published in high-impact indexed journals.

The report showed that for every N1 invested in training and mentorship, Fellows generated N2 in external research grants, reflecting a 200 per cent return on social investment.

He also noted that the NIMR Monthly Media Briefing has also strengthened journalists’ access to research materials, field visits and laboratory tours, resulting in more informed and timely health reporting.

Also in her presentation Why the media matter, veteran broadcaster and member of the NIMR Foundation Board of Trustees, Chief Moji Makanjuola, said research only reaches full value when it is communicated and applied.

She described the media as a bridge between science and society, stressing its role in combating misinformation, improving health literacy and shaping public policy.

“Research confined to laboratories or academic journals has little impact. The media is a critical partner in shaping health behaviour and policy,” she said.

She urged journalists to simplify complex information without distortion, noting that clear communication remains vital as Nigeria continues to grapple with disease outbreaks and low health awareness.

They further disclosed that NIMR Foundation plans to scale up the GMTP Fellowship to accommodate more researchers annually, introduce postdoctoral and PhD awards and grow a dedicated endowment fund to guarantee sustainable research financing.

They noted that increased collaboration with government agencies, the private sector and development partners is expected to play a central role in building a stronger, better-funded health research ecosystem for Nigeria.