The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Yahuza Bello, says the three COVID-19 testing centres established by the institution since the outbreak of the pandemic had tested no fewer than 27,831 samples.
Bello said this on Sunday during the inauguration of the International Conference Centre (ICC) at BUK’s College of Health Sciences, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital,Kano.
He added that out of the 27,831 tests conducted, over 13,000 samples were from Kano while others were from Jigawa, Yobe, Kaduna and Katsina states.
The don also said the university had expended over N80 million to equip the three centres, adding that “the institution is still sourcing resources to continue equipping the laboratories.”
Bello said the university’s molecular laboratories were rated among the best four in the country by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“NCDC has ranked the BUK’s molecular laboratories as one of the four best laboratories in Nigeria.
” This is because the university has spent millions of naira to equip them.
“From the BUK’s revenue, we have voluntarily spent N50 million to buy equipment for the laboratories.
” The university has also continued to spend in making the testing centres state-of-the-art.
“Even recently, when we opened another laboratory, we have spent about N31 million to buy equipment and Personal Protective Equipment,” Bello said.
He commended the efforts of the state government in supporting the institution to establish the testing centres.
In his remarks, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, commended the efforts of the university in establishing the testing centres.
According to him, the centres contributed immensely to the reduction in cases of COVID-19 in the state.
Ganduje said the testing centres had reduced the burden of taking samples to Abuja and Lagos which initially had made the response against COVID-19 difficult in the state.
He said the establishment of the BUK testing centres had given a boost to the testing capacity of the state and eased the fight against the virus.
