Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has taken delivery of 79 high-end research and science equipment items worth $298,104.71 (₦480.2 million), secured through a competitive grant awarded to Professor Oluwafemi Ogunmodede by Seeding Labs.
This was disclosed in a statement issued Wednesday by ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Tunde Olofintila, who noted that the newly acquired equipment marks a significant addition to the institution’s scientific infrastructure.
“With this latest addition secured by Prof. Ogunmodede, the quantum of state-of-the-art research and science equipment at ABUAD has reached a new height,” Olofintila said.
Professor Ogunmodede, Director of Academic Planning and Professor of Industrial Chemistry, joins other ABUAD researchers who have successfully attracted international support to advance the university’s research capabilities.
According to Olofintila, earlier equipment acquisitions include a \$221,041.98 (₦356 million) grant secured in 2023 by Professor Pius Okiki, Provost of the College of Sciences and Professor of Microbiology. Additionally, Professor Olusegun Adebayo AdeOluwa of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, secured another round of support from Seeding Labs in January 2023, resulting in the delivery of 53 research items valued at ₦427.4 million. The university paid a counterpart fund of $27,800.
Also noted was the acquisition of a high-specification Observer 5 Microscope with Fluorescence and Camera, valued at $80,000 (₦136 million), by Dr. Juliet Olayinka of the Department of Pharmacology through the Africa Microscopy Initiative. The microscope was delivered in April 2025.
Founder of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, commended the researchers for their proactive engagement in international funding opportunities.
“The newly acquired equipment will greatly assist the university, which has successfully produced Virucidine (an immune system booster syrup), Natucadine (an anti-ageing herbal supplement), and AB-Mal (an anti-malaria capsule), in its research in Medicine, Pharmacy, and the Sciences,” Babalola said.
He noted the importance of utilising the equipment for domestic scientific advancement, noting its potential to reduce dependence on foreign laboratories and conserve foreign exchange.
“I congratulate the university for standing out in the performance of these three duties stipulated by the World Bank — quality teaching, quality research, and quality engagement,” he added.
Babalola highlighted ABUAD’s international recognition, citing the university’s recent ranking by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. He said, “Our 15-year-old university was ranked No. 1 in the world for SDG 7, No. 1 globally in Outreach with a score of 98 per cent, No. 1 worldwide in Stewardship with a score of 98.2 per cent, and No. 1 among all 264 universities in Nigeria for three consecutive years — 2022, 2023, and 2024.”
Professor Okiki, who joined Ogunmodede in presenting the new equipment to Babalola at the Bogoro Drug Research Centre, said the facility would significantly enhance research and training for students and staff in various disciplines.
He stressed that the new infrastructure will enhance practical training and scientific research across various fields, including Medicine, Health Sciences, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Engineering, and the Sciences.
He further added that it will contribute to the development of the 124-unit ABUAD Industrial Research Park and provide support for the 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital.
According to Okiki, the availability of such equipment will eliminate the need to send medical and scientific samples abroad for analysis, enabling faster and more cost-effective research outcomes.
