Commitee on COVID-19 Commends ASUU for Producing Ventilator

Benue State Deputy Governor and Chairman, Benue State Action Committee on COVID-19, Engr Benson Abounu, has commended the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) chapter for producing a Ventilator to support the fight against the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic.

Engr. Abounu made the commendation today at Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, when Dr. Simon Ejembi led members of ASUU from Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, to present a locally produced prototype Ventilator to the State Committee on COVID-19.

According to the Deputy Governor, " I am impressed with the level of sophistication, functionality and mechanism of the locally produced prototype Ventilator, which can stand the taste of time". He stressed the importance of the Nigerian Universities to start funding it's self like other Institutions of Higher learning in developed Nations.

The State COVID-19 committee Chairman, further admonished ASSU-FUAM to improve on this feat of locally produced Ventilator and open up new vistas of human endeavors, where the Institution can serve as consultant to manufacturers, industries and researchers and earn royalties and fund its self.

Earlier, the ASUU Chairman, FUAM chapter, Dr. Simon Ejembi, on behalf of the Union, expressed their gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency, for providing the finance that enabled the Union Members to start work on the prototype Ventilator, at a time when most Nigerian leaders do not appear to believe in the ability and capacity of the Nigerian Academians.

According to Ejembi, "we have the Ventilator locally produced by the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, and this Ventilator opened up the idea of combating COVID-19 pandemic therapeutics through biomimitic polymer templated drug delivery system, just like the aerosol inhaler.

The ventilator, which was manufactured from materials sourced locally in Makurdi is unique in several ways. It is digitalised and can be used on two patients at the same time. It can also be operated using three sources of energy, viz,  solar, electricity and reserve battery.