As the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration drives the vision to reset the state’s economy for growth, the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, has keyed in on the mandate and is hosting the adjudged most accomplished scientist in Pakistan, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, a professor of bioorganic and natural product chemistry, to a one-day symposium and launch of a natural product research center at the institution.
Rector of the institution and Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists, noted that the school is well-suited to drive the governor’s mandate on science and technology with its growing attractiveness to top world-acclaimed researchers.
Prof. Falodun said that the symposium, which will hold on December 21st from 11am, at the polytechnic in Usen, is aimed at attracting a host of academics, policymakers, researchers and students, to the school and deepening its internationalisation strategy.
According to him, “This will be the first time that this institution will be hosting this caliber of researcher and we are very certain that it is the beginning of good things to come. The state governor graced our convocation ceremony recently, the first since the inception of the school. So, I believe it is clear to everyone that we mean business here.”
“We are on a mission to ensure the resurgence of this institution as a leading research institution in Nigeria. Prof. Dr. Muhammad I. Choudhary, is one of the most revered scholars in Pakistan as well as in the field of natural product research. He has discovered many potent anti-epileptic and anti-leishmanial compounds from indigenous plants that are under clinical trials. He has established several research centers and leads the developing world’s finest research center of natural product chemistry (HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry). He will be here for the symposium, to share his success story to academics in Nigeria, and give nuggets on how they can break grounds in their various disciplines.”
Falodun added that the institution is being repositioned to be a solution ground for societal problems, especially with the application of scientific knowledge.
“We are working hard to ensure that this school becomes a mecca of sorts for academics. So we are putting the structures in place to make that happen. We have a well-equipped laboratory and a host of other support structures to attract and keep researchers. Already, we have a number of visiting lectures in different fields from overseas, notably, Switzerland, Germany and South Africa.”
