Outgoing Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Professor Yahuza Bello, has said the three COVID-19 testing centres, established since the outbreak of the virus in the state in April, have tested no fewer than 27,831 samples so far.
A press statement in Kano, Tuesday said Bello stated this at the commissioning of International Conference Centre (ICC) at BUK College of Health Sciences in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Saturday.
He stated that out of the 27,831 tests conducted at the centers, over 13,000 samples were from Kano, while others were from Jigawa, Yobe, Kaduna and Katsina states.
The outgoing VC said the university had expended over N80 million to equip the three testing centers, adding that the institution is still sourcing fund to continue equipping the laboratories.
Bello stated that the university’s molecular laboratories are among the best four in Nigeria, according to the National 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 centers state-of-the-art.
“Even recently, when we open another laboratories, we have spent about N31 million to buy equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (BPE) such as overall gowns, hand sanitizers, goggles, N95 face masks, hand gloves among others,” the outgoing VC said.
He commended the effort of the state government to support the institution to establish the testing centers.
In his remarks, the governor of Kano state, Andullahi Umar Ganduje commended the efforts of the university to establish testing centers which had contributed immensely to the reduction of cases of COVID-19 in the state.
Ganduje said the testing centers had reduced the burden of taking samples to Abuja and Lagos state, which had made the response against coronavirus a difficult one in the state.
He noted that the establishment of the BUK testing centers had skyrocketed the testing capacity of the state and eased the fight against the virus which had been in the verge of being stamped out in the state.
