tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23158526874929641662024-03-12T18:51:27.229-07:00African Journal of BiotechnologyProf Nyerhovwo Tonukarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13447605567106749796noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315852687492964166.post-10336040575512582892018-11-15T03:12:00.002-08:002018-11-15T03:12:22.942-08:00ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Keynote address delivered by Professor Nyerhovwo Tonukari at the Nigeria
Library Association, Delta State Chapter, 2018 Annual Conference, Thursday 15th
November 2018 at the Delta State Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku. </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY
IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">INTRODUCTION</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Today is a remarkable one for me as I am
being given the honour and privilege to stand before great librarians and
information scientists, reputable Nigerians who mean well for this great nation
and have what it takes to make our country wonderful, blissful and enviable. I
would like to thank and congratulate the chairman and organisers of this
conference for the good work they are doing and choosing to address this
salient and striking issue of insecurity plaguing our nation. I do not see
myself as qualified to discuss the theme of this conference, but each of us can
assume more responsibility for our actions which will ultimately improve unity
and security. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Never in the history of Nigeria has it
been in dire need of security and unity. The country has never been bedeviled
and paralysed like what we see now. The very existence of Nigeria as a
sovereign state is being threatened by the hideous acts of terrorists’ attacks,
inhumane herdsmen, hypnotised and extremist militants, Boko Haram, and ruthless
and unreasonable kidnappers. Our lives and activities are now curtailed,
controlled and restricted because anybody can be kidnapped. The entire nation
is held hostage by these criminals. None is safe anymore, but we cannot go on
like this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">We all know the first and most paramount
thing a nation can give to its citizens is security. If there is no security,
there is no nation. A country’s national security is concerned with the
well-being, welfare and interest of her citizens, preservation of her
sovereignty and territory against external aggression. The Nigerian
Constitution of 1999: Section 14 (2) (b) states that “the security and welfare
of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. The government has
the responsibility of safeguarding lives and property of Nigerians against both
internal and external threats. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">There is no doubt that the development of
any society also depends on the extent of the security of lives and property of
the citizens. Insecurity can cripple the economy of a nation. A secured
atmosphere will encourage intellectual minds and provide an environment for growth
and infrastructural development. In a time like this, what do we do? But we
should also ask why we find ourselves in this unfortunate situation. Whose
fault is it? Let us do some soul-searching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">SOUL-SEARCHING</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">The
<span style="margin: 0px;">2017 per capita GDP</span> of the United
States is USD 60,000, Israel and the UK are about USD 40,000, Brazil and
Malaysia about USD 10,000, South Africa is about 6,000, while Nigeria and India
are slightly less than USD2000. <span style="margin: 0px;">Per
capita GDP</span> is simply a measure of the total output of a <span style="margin: 0px;">country</span> divided by the number of
people in that <span style="margin: 0px;">country</span>. We may
be better than few countries but with all our natural resources and so-called intelligence
is this where we are supposed to be? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Most
of us long for the day when Nigeria will become a developed country; when the
economy will be much better and when poverty would have been relegated to the
archives. But how do you expect such period of economic freedom, peace and joy
to be realized when we all sit down and expect the “government” to solve all
our problems and better our lives? The purpose of knowledge is to improve
ourselves and the society, but are we educated elites here today who have at
least university or polytechnic education happy with our lives and
socioeconomic situation? So many things have gone wrong and we all have a lot
to answer for. This clearly shows that we have been following the wrong path in
our personal and national development. It is time we retrace our steps and
reconsider most of what we do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Now
let us go back into near history of about 300 to 400 years ago. What we know of
slavery is mostly what the Europeans and Americans wrote down with few
undocumented and unconfirmed stories here and there. Truly, we have been very
wicked to ourselves. Do you think some few Europeans had the gut to enter a
village and carry the people away? The truth is that we were the ones selling
our brothers and sisters as slaves. They were just waiting in their ships to
buy the slaves. We were the ones that fomented stupid wars to displace people
who were then picked up and sold. Has it ever occurred to you that many
families even preferred slavery to the debauchery and hunger around them in
precolonial times? Sorry that I am touching on nerves here, but I am telling
you some true stories. Fast forward to the colonial times, the so-called
British Empire soldiers were fellow Africans and some Asians that were trained
by the colonialists. And do you think slavery was abolished to help us? Think
again. Slavery was becoming unprofitable and the sheer number of slaves was turning
into a security challenge in the Americas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">We
are now in the 21<sup>st</sup> century and many of you are happy that slavery
is over. The slave ships are no longer coming, instead our youth are trekking across
the hot dry Sahara to get to Europe through the Mediterranean. Poverty and lack
of opportunities can drive anyone to undertake such dangerous venture. The vast
majority of Nigerians today are faced with constant and a seemingly unending
struggle like disinherited children who have been <span style="margin: 0px;">deprived of their rights. </span>There are more horrors coming and we
may have to suffer even more until we come to our senses. Our society will
collapse unless we gear up, realise and fulfil our individual tasks. We need to
think and focus more on what we can do to improve the society and economy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">What must first change most drastically is
we ourselves because we have refused to learn to work together and think
bigger. We have refused to share our knowledge and accept each other as human
beings. We have become slaves of religion and tribe, and many are ready to
carry out much atrocities as long as they receive commendation from their
church or mosque or ethnic group. Religious fanaticism and dogmatism have
turned so many into barbarians and bigots.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">We
all troop to worship every week with slave mentality because of fear of hell or
expectations of blessings. For those who keep praying and begging for
blessings, miracles and breakthrough while sticking to indolence and laziness, I
wish them good luck. There is a great Law which ordains that the right to take
lies in <span style="margin: 0px;">giving<i> </i></span>alone. Do
you give humanity your time, talent and money as a necessary service in return?
Most people <span style="margin: 0px;">are never willing<i> </i></span>to
acknowledge that it is depended solely upon themselves to shape their lives
differently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">DOING
AWAY WITH INDOLENCE</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Are
we really that sluggish, indolent, unproductive and uncreative? I do not think
so. But if we do not criticize, how else are we going to improve the society? Nevertheless,
we must also proffer solutions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Imagine
the natural resources, blessings and beauty that Nigeria has been endowed with?
Today, instead of making use of what nature has freely given to us to improve
ourselves and the world, we are fighting over it. Besides, we have become so
lazy that we just expect free money and we want everything to be free. Why
won’t the government pay 30,000 naira as minimum wage when we all are so lazy
to look for other activities that can pay ten and hundred times higher? What work
do many even carry out daily to deserve the minimum wage? The socialist view,
that everyone with similar qualification should be paid the same must be
discarded. Salaries and promotion must be tied to productivity like it is in
the private sector. Whatsoever a man sows, so also shall he reap. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">The notion that government should do
everything for us must be also discarded. It is the most unintelligent and
stupid thing for the Nigerian government to start a new airline. Nigeria
airways failed miserably. It is better to invest in the private airlines,
motivate them but also regulate their activities very well. All our government
steel companies failed, and all should be sold. The government has no business
in establishing a telephone or refinery or electricity company. It does not
just work. Just look around you? In a short span of less than 15 years, several
private universities are doing better than many public universities. Imagine
what will happen in 20 years! We are crying for jobs, yet there are so many new
jobs that can be created if we change our policies and also our ways. I once
advocated that a million direct and indirect jobs will be created in few years
if private refineries are encouraged. With more encouragement, our private
airlines will dominate the African sky. Also, the private universities should
be encouraged with financial grants to expand and admit more students.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">THE DIGITAL AGE </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">We are in the age of founders, the age of
entrepreneurs. To make this age more interesting, there is a deluge of
information out there for everyone to use. Innovation is the hallmark of
entrepreneurship and key to success. Innovation leads to job creation.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Every good economy is anchored on innovation
and information. So why are we not innovating? But why should we innovate when
the government prefers to import fuel, the citizens choose to eat foreign rice,
and the academics are encouraged to publish in foreign journals! It is
disheartening to be in a society that discourages innovation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">The UK, a country with a third of the
population of Nigeria publishes over 10,000 academic journals, while the whole
of Africa of about 1.3 billion publishes just about 5000 research journals. Why
are we so foolish to promote western companies and insist on faculty journals
in Nigeria? Why don’t our universities also insist on publishing only in
faculty journals in Europe and America? Nearly all the journals published in
western countries are by established companies and associations, and are ranked
by their content, editing and citations. How many faculty journals in Nigeria
reject manuscripts? Nearly all Nigerian faculty journals lack indexing and
digital object identifier (DOI). These journals are often poorly dissemination
(only available in the faculty) and lack online presence. Is it not
disheartening for Nigerian universities to reject a journal that is indexed in
Science Citation Index Expanded just because it is published by a Nigerian
company? Charity should begin at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Libraries and archives should be
digitizing our hard copy research journals, books, and records so that they can
be assessed online. The sheer speed of social media in disseminating
information requires a new generation of librarians that can utilize new tools
to achieve this purpose. Librarians need to package information into dedicated
websites that will be interesting to specific groups. It is the responsibility
of our library to disseminate trusted information (in times of so many fake
news) in this digital age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">CONCLUSION</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">The
choice is ours. We can start today by taking full responsibility of all that we
do, rather than just sitting down waiting for the government to improve our
life while praying our beggarly prayers. We will experience a sense of <span style="margin: 0px;">newness<i>, </i></span>which grows and
becomes strong out of simplicity and humility, when we start to take
responsibility for our actions. We will feel liberated when we start to give
instead of always expecting to receive. We can start by really thanking God for
all that we are, and the blessings showered on us already. Then, we should
always seek the opportunity to serve humanity and improve the world starting
with ourselves. There is no end to improvement and accomplishments. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">If
we strive to change for good and use the talents in us, happiness and economic
progress will follow. Success and a good life are so easily attainable for
those who are not only serious but also humble and willing to learn from
nature. We must learn to work together. Everyone must use their knowledge and
contribute their own fair share.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Ladies and gentlemen, great librarians, I
thank you all very much for your attention and I hope your deliberation here
today will be worthwhile and fruitful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0px;">Thank you and God bless us all.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Professor Tonukari teaches biochemistry at the Delta State
University Abraka and he is the founder of Academic Journals.</span></i></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Prof Nyerhovwo Tonukarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13447605567106749796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315852687492964166.post-15183640445926922552018-09-12T12:56:00.002-07:002018-09-12T12:57:35.169-07:00<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px;">Keynote
address delivered by Professor Nyerhovwo Tonukari at the 3rd South South Annual
Zonal Conference of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Thursday 13th September 2018 at the University of Port Harcourt</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px;"></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 20pt; margin: 0px;">Rethinking Research
in Nigeria</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">INTRODUCTION</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I
would like to start by asking why should the Federal Government still be happy
in giving university lecturers grants for research? Where are the
commercialized research outputs that warrant further research investments? But
is the Federal Government funding research according to the expected level? Are
we doing the kind of research that will bring development to Nigeria? What have
we as biochemists contributed to the Nigerian economy in terms of development
from our research? Again, what has the Federal Government received in return
for its over 50 years of funding scientific research? What specific products or
processes can we point to in Nigeria that resulted from research that we
conducted? As scientists are we pleased that there is still poverty and hunger
in Nigeria in spite of the vast knowledge that we boast of? How many
biochemists are really contented with their current salaries as well as societal
and economic conditions? <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">CURRENT
STATE OF AFFAIRS</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I
must confess that scientific research is much better now with TETFund funding
some of our researches. Nevertheless, the low level of funding, for instance,
one, two or three million naira research grants will not be enough to conduct
any meaningful research. Hence, what we see in biochemistry journals is a lot
of "effect of X on Y." Many of us have published these kinds of
papers just for promotion and nothing else. Misplaced priorities and papers and
award-chasing are now what characterize the typical Nigerian lecturer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The
TETFund 2016 Budget was N213.4b, with only a small part of this devoted to
research while most went into capital expenditures and training. Nigeria’s
total Federal Government 2018 budget of N9.12 trillion is less than the amount
the United States spends for medical research alone. The 2018 budget for the
USA National Institutes of Health (NIH) is $37 billion (about N11.5 trillion);
National Science Foundation (NSF), $7.8 billion (about N2.5 trillion); and NASA,
$20.7 billion (about N6.5 trillion). The USA budget for 2018 is S4.094 trillion
which is about 1,250 trillion naira (not 10 times but a whopping 140 times
Nigerian budget). The USA population is 325 million, while Nigeria is 186
million. What a difference!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Considering
the state of our economy, our research must be linked to industries. Our
institutions must partner with industries and source for research funding from them.
For example, about 20% of the research funding at the National University of
Seoul, South Korea is sourced from industries (<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.useoul.edu/research/facts"><span style="color: windowtext; margin: 0px;">http://www.useoul.edu/research/facts</span></a></span></span>).
When research is tied to economic results, significant funding will come from
industries. Therefore, our institutions must learn to work hand-in-hand with
industries to build the economy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
is the US economy thriving and its budget so huge? It is simply because it has
so many companies that pay good taxes to the government. Even scientists
including professors are encouraged with grants, cheap loans and venture
capital to commercialize their research and start companies. Several
biochemistry professors move between industry and academia. Hence research
parks and business incubators dots areas with universities in several western
countries. Instead of complaining and criticizing the government, we should
endeavor to become part of the solution by conducting real research that will
lead to job creation and new products. We must learn to work with those from
other fields including engineers, agriculturists, economists and software
developers to make our own versions of products and services that we now
import. There are so much we import that we can easily make in Nigeria. Are we
not ashamed that we import enzymes, vitamins, hormones and organic acids into
Nigeria? Can we not practice some of what we teach by producing these
biochemicals in Nigeria? On the contrary, we export so many assays like
paternity tests abroad that we can easily carry out in Nigeria. We lose so much
foreign exchange. If you are Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, will
you be happy with Nigerian biochemists? Many of us got the Federal Government
postgraduate and now TETFund scholarships to study for our masters and PhDs.
But, the question is, ‘what have we given back to Nigeria in appreciation?’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We
import so much into Nigeria today, that it has become so embarrassing. Many
industries are closing, and several service firms are folding up. So many
things are wrong, and we lecturers and professors are part of the problem. How
many of us have real industrial experience that qualifies us to teach
industrial biochemistry? Why can we not engage our colleagues in industries to
teach part of our industrial biochemistry courses with us? Do we really know
what is currently happening in Nigerian and international industries or we are
just teaching what is in the stale textbooks? Why are we so happy to quote
foreign companies as the source of our chemicals and equipment? We should
patronize indigenous companies and laboratories. How many of you have joined
your local chamber of commerce and industry like I have done? There is no doubt
that we need some encouragement like what China is giving to its industries if
we are to have real strong companies in Nigeria. But we must not wait for such
governmental encouragements. We must do what we can; we need to refocus some of
our research into those areas that will lead to products and services that we
can commercialize and profit from financially.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">RETHINKING
RESEARCH</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But
what should we really do? It is now time to rethink and refocus our research
such that it will contribute meaningfully to the Nigerian economy. We must
conduct investigations that will lead to products or processes that we can
point to instead of chasing awards, papers and promotion. Commercialization of
research output should be be given a priority. Researchers should be encouraged
to pursue patents in addition to papers so that they can benefit financially
from the research. Also, there is need to introduce challenge researches. Here,
scientists, policy makers, industries and stakeholders will identify real
problems that we need to tackle. TETFUND and other donor agencies will call for
proposals and fund the ones that will lead to solution thereby creating
products and services, and ultimately jobs. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In
addition, there is need for the establishment of strong research collaborations
and consortiums. Instead of giving each individual researcher two million naira
for research which will end up in a meaningless promotion-focused paper,
scientists with different expertise should collaborate to solve specific
problems or create products and services that will promote the economy and
society. Meaningful grants of at least N500m should be given to consortium of a
minimum of 10 collaborating scientists that come from different fields and
universities (including research institutes) to solve specific problems or
create some novel products. Such call for proposals should be made public and a
national panel of experts should screen them and recommend the outstanding ones
for funding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Biochemists
can work with agricultural biotechnologists to develop herbicide resistant
cassava. Nigeria can easily triple its cassava production if we have herbicide
resistant cassava that will save a lot of labour. I have published two reviews
where I argued that cassava should be considered as white gold because it is
the future of starch and it is going to serve as the substrate for several
industries in Nigeria. As an optimist and futurist, I still stand by my
prediction. Unlike before, we now have several molecular biologists in Nigeria.
What does it take to develop a transgenic plant? Several universities and
research institutes have most of the required equipment and several of us have
the skills to conduct such experiments. All that is required is the boost;
assemble the experts, provide the consumables and give them a deadline. Believe
me, we can do this. We can improve most crops in Nigeria if the funding is
provided. Nigerian molecular biologists are waiting for the call.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We
have been producing alcohol from different raw materials in Nigeria since
pre-historic times. And we have so many grains and tubers to use as substrates for
alcohol production. Then why are we still importing industrial alcohol into
Nigeria? I think some of us including engineers, microbiologists and economists
should come up with proposals to establish mini-alcohol production plants from
cassava and other tubers and grains in all parts of Nigeria. Imagine how many
jobs that will be created! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Can
we not produce better anti-malaria drugs and even work towards the eradication
of malaria? Nigerians have been publishing papers on anti-malarial plants since
the 1960s; yet there is no real commercial Nigerian made drugs in the market.
We have investigated so many medicinal herbs from all parts of Nigeria. I am
confident that with good funding and encouragement, we can produce combined
anti-malarial drugs with better efficacy than the current <span style="margin: 0px;">artemisinin-based drugs that we now import.
And what can we as biochemists contribute towards the total eradication of
malaria? </span>Now <span style="margin: 0px;">that</span> <span style="margin: 0px;">is</span> <span style="margin: 0px;">food</span> <span style="margin: 0px;">for</span> <span style="margin: 0px;">thought. </span>I was involved in a research
that was funded by the British Government in Kenya to the tune of 8 million
pounds (approx. N3.7 billion). The group from 5 countries (UK, Nigeria, Japan,
Cameroon and Kenya) involved biochemists (including myself), veterinary
doctors, virologists, and bioinformaticists, as well as several research
assistants. We ended sequencing the genome of a protozoa <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Theileria parva</i>, constructed a gene expression library, and
identified 6 antigens for vaccine against East Coast Fever disease that affects
cattle in East and Southern Africa (Figures 1 to 3; Tables 1 and 2). Production
of the vaccine was later contracted to a Canadian company because no such
pharmaceutical companies exist in Africa. We also received a patent for the
antigens and published over 12 articles later. We can also do big research in
Nigeria with adequate funding.<span style="margin: 0px;"></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure
1.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> The need for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Theileria
parva</i> vaccine.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Table
1.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Comparison of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Theileria
p</i>arva genome to those of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plasmodium
falciparum</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cryptosporidium
parvum</i>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure
2.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Targeted gene approach using bioinformatic sequence
prediction.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure
3.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Random gene expression library screening approach.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Table
2.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> CD8 T-cell target <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Theileria parva</i> antigens.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0px;">Authors: S.P. Graham, R.
Pelle, Y. Honda, D. M. Mwangi,<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>M.
Yamage,<sup> </sup><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>E. J. Glew, N.J.
Tonukari, E. P. De Villiers, T. Shah, R. Bishop, E. Abuya, E. Awino, J.
Gachanja, A. E. Luyai, F. Mbwika, A. M. Muthiani, D. M. Ndegwa, M. Njahira, J.
K. Nyanjui, F. O. Onono, J. Osaso, R. M. Saya, C. Wildmann, C. M. Fraser, I.
Maudlin, M. J. Gardner, S. P. Morzaria, S. Loosmore, S. C. Gilbert, J. C.
Audonnet, P. van der Bruggen, V. Nene, and E. L. Taracha. and Wallace D. Bulimo</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0px;">DFID, UK and The Institute
of Genome Research (TIGR) USA</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 9pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>“Nigerian Government to import grass from
Brazil” is the headline of a 2017 newspaper article. What a shame! We are all
appalled by the problems facing crop farmers in some parts of Nigeria. Cows
need to eat grass, but it is sickening to even imagine that we need to import
grass to feed our cattle. The only solution to this problem is ranching and we
as biochemists can contribute to the development of supplementary cattle feed
that can be used by mini ranches. We have conducted several investigations and
published several articles on animal feeds in Delta State University. My
colleagues and I have identified an alpha-amylase from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aspergillus niger</i> from cassava undergoing spoilage. The interesting
thing is that this enzyme can be used to pre-treat and enrich cassava peels
such that they can be included cheaply in poultry and pig feeds. We also
sequenced and analyzed (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in silico</i>)
the gene encoding the amylase. In addition to cassava peels, we investigated
the inclusion of bitter leaf (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vernonia
amygdalina</i>) stems that are thrown away as waste as well as elephant grass (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pennisetum purpereum</i>) in feeds. These
feeds were tested in poultry and pigs with very positive results, some of which
have been published in research journals (Figures 4 to 7). We even produced and
sold commercial quantities of poultry and pig feeds. We cannot publish all our
results; that will be giving away proprietary information that needs to be
patented. But we are very confident that we can easily produce very cheap supplementary
feeds for cattle if the funding and market is available. There are other
laboratories and groups in Nigerian universities that can also produce these
supplementary feeds using local materials.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure 4.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Partial
nucleotide sequence and deduced amino acid sequence of the putative amylase
gene (CDF_Amyl) of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aspergillus</i>
sp.CSA35. The gene has four introns (non coding regions) and five exons (coding
regions) denoted with lower case (italicized) and upper case letters,
respectively.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure 5.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Substrate
specificity of α-amylases of Aspergillus spp. associated with cassava spoilage.
CSA 25, 26 and 38, fungi from cassava tuber; CSA 27 and35, fungi from processed
cassava (eba).</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure 6.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Weight gains (g)
by the chicks. CPFG denotes cassava peels pretreated with fungus.</span></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_8" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 266.25pt; mso-wrap-style: square; visibility: visible; width: 427.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata cropbottom="17925f" cropleft="19220f" cropright="19220f" croptop="17561f" o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/tonukari/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image009.png">
</v:imagedata></v:shape></span><span style="margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Figure 7.</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> Effect of feed
pretreatment on the average body weight gain (Kg) of experimental feeds. CPFG
denotes cassava peels pretreated with fungus.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">PERSPECTIVES
AND CONCLUSION</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The
biochemistry curriculum as well as research dissemination should also be
revisited. Have we ever involved the industries, laboratories and research
institutes in drafting the biochemistry curriculum? The internet, open access
and online education will jolt our profession like never before. Digital
technology offers us rich, interactive learning environments. Most students now
get more information for their project from Google Scholar and Wikipedia, than
from their library. So, we better start including some bioinformatics, real computer
programming and economics into our curriculum. And if you are happy downloading
and using PDFs of published articles in your teaching and research, you should
also strongly support and publish in open access journals that uploads such papers
online for you to freely access.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In
this era where politics and religion dominate the Nigerian psyche, we as
biochemists and scientists must rise up to challenge the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">status quo</i> and develop new industries and services. Unfortunately, most
of us are in universities where we are easily burdened with criticisms if we </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">endeavor
to do anything that is outside farming and religion. Due to lack of facilities
and especially electricity and internet, several professors and lecturers have
now turned to the church to become pastors, while others are taking up peasant
farming to augment their inadequate salary. These are the two activities we
lecturers can engage in with praise and accolades from colleagues and society
and without arousing much criticisms and backlash. But if you dare venture
outside these and make some good money from industry, be ready to suffer some
unpalatable reactions.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Nevertheless,
if we do not change, the future may not favour us as lecturers and also as a
country. High throughput screening and bioinformatic software analyses will
dominate biochemical research in the future. Are we ready for that? Most of the
common assays are now being automated and carried out by robots in several
laboratories and industries in western countries. Artificial intelligence and
machine-based analyses will comb through billions of biochemical and genomic
data to generate advanced molecules, transgenes and bio-drugs. Believe it or
not, instead of expensive spectrophotometers, microscopes and PCR
thermocyclers, our phones and laptops with cheaply attached accessories will be
used to measure absorbance and record various parameters in the future. Many
companies are racing to build a medical device that works with your phone,
which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and you can breathe into it. It
can analyze over 50 biomarkers that will identify nearly any disease. It will
be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world
class medical tests very cheaply. Are we just going to sit back and buy these
future assays and accessories from abroad or compete with them for a slice of
the market?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">We
are all very intelligent and hardworking. We have studied those intricate
biochemical pathways, complex genomic expressions and multifaceted signal
transductions. Why can we not translate our unique knowledge to understanding
the pathways of life and proffer unique solutions? We should sever ourselves
from the old and look towards the future. We praise and readily accept articles
published by the big companies in Europe and the United States, and we are
doing nothing whatever to improve our local faculty and association journals.
We call their journals international and score them higher during promotion
exercises. Why are we not going to call our journals local and consider them
inferior? How many of our faculty journals are indexed? How many of them have
interactive and tracking websites? How many of our journals have diverse and
international editors? How many of our association journals are attracting
international authors? How many of our faculty journals have Google Scholar h5
ranking? How many of them have Crossref with digital object identifier (DOI)?
How many of our association journals have digital preservation? We must improve
our own journals to achieve global recognition. We must embrace and publish in
Nigerian and African journals. We must support our local economy.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The
Society of African Journal Editors (SAJE; africaneditors.org) has taken the
initiative to work and promote African journals and provide benchmarks that
will enable these journals effectively serve the global researchers especially
those from the continent. I enjoin all editors and editorial board members to become
members of SAJE so that together we can improve and promote African research
journals.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">As
Robert Kennedy once said, “the future does not belong to those who are content
with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid
and fearful in the face of bold projects and new ideas. Rather, the future will
belong to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal
commitment to their ideals.” The future belongs to the bold. I enjoin you all
to be part of the future.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I
thank you all for this opportunity to speak.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk524451094"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">REFERENCES</span></a></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Adebayo, J. O., and
Krettli, A. U. (2011). Potential antimalarials from Nigerian plants: A review. <i>Journal
of <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Ethnopharmacology,</i>
133(2), 289–302.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Avwioroko, O. J.,
and Tonukari, N. J. (2014). Isolation and molecular identification of
Aspergillus species associated <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>with
the spoilage of cassava in Nigeria. <i>Nigerian Journal of Science and Environment,</i>
13(1), 55–68.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Avwioroko, O. J.,
Anigboro, A. A., and Tonukari, N. J. (2016). Biotechnological application of
cassava-degrading <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>fungal (CDF) amylase
in broiler feed formulation. Br. <i>Biotechnology Journal</i>, <span style="margin: 0px;">10</span>(1), 1–12.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Avwioroko, O. J.,
Anigboro, A. A., Unachukwu, N. N., and Tonukari, N. J. (2018). Isolation,
identification and in <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>silico analysis
of alpha-amylase gene of Aspergillus niger strain CSA35 obtained from cassava
undergoing <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>spoilage. <i>Biochemistry
and Biophysics Reports</i>, <i>14</i>, 35–42.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Avwioroko, O. J.,
Tonukari, N. J., and Asagba, S. O. (2015). Biochemical characterization of
crude α-amylase of <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Aspergillus spp.
associated with the spoilage of cassava (Manihot esculenta) tubers and
processed products <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>in Nigeria. <i>Advances
in Biochemistry</i>, 3(1), 15–23.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Ayoola, G. A.,
Coker, H. A., Adesegun, S. A., Adepoju-Bello, A. A., Obaweya, K., and Ezennia,
E. C. (2008). <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Phytochemical
screening and antioxidant activities of some selected medicinal plants used for
malaria <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>therapy in Southwestern
Nigeria. <i>Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research</i>, 7(3), 1019–1024.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Etkin, N. L.
(1997). Antimalarial plants used by Hausa in northern Nigeria. <i>Tropical
Doctor</i> 27(1), 12–16.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Graham, S. P.,
Pellé, R., Honda, Y., Mwangi, D. M., Tonukari, N. J., Yamage, M., Glew, E. J.,
… Taracha, E. L. N. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(2006). Theileria
parva candidate vaccine antigens recognized by immune bovine cytotoxic T
lymphocytes. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences</i>, 103(9), 3286–3291.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><a href="http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Happy-New-Year.html?soid=1113093459610&aid=aawL6iSef80"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Happy-New-Year.html?soid=1113093459610andaid=aawL6iSef80</span></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">https://247sports.com/college/maryland/Board/56/Contents/The-Future-What-does-the-Suque-think-115296973/</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/why-we-are-importing-grass/"><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none;">https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/why-we-are-importing-grass/</span></span></a><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Idowu, O. A.,
Soniran, O. T., Ajana, O., and Aworinde, D. O. (2010). Ethnobotanical survey of
antimalarial plants <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>used in Ogun State,
Southwest Nigeria. <i>African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology</i> 4(2),
055–060.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Taracha, E., Glew,
J., Graham, S., Mwangi, D., Honda, Y., Pelle, R., Tonukari, N. J., and Yamage
M. (2005). East <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Coast Fever vaccine
based on CTL-specific schizont antigens. World Intellectual Property
Organization, <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Geneva PCT/US2004/030831.
ttps://archive.org/stream/gov.uspto.patents.application.10564397/10564397-<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>2006-01-13-00001-FRPR_djvu.txt</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.
(2010). Theileria parva apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) shares conserved
sequences with <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>apicomplexan
homologs. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">International Journal of
Biotechnology and Molecular Biology </i>Research, 1(3), 36–<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>41.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.
(2010). Theileria parva genome and CTL candidate vaccine antigens: An overview.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">International <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Journal of Genetics and Molecular Biology</i>, 2(5), 72–77. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.,
and Kangethe, R.T. (2009). Cloning and expression of Theileria parva T-complex
1 protein zeta <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>subunit ortholog. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Cell and Animal Biology</i>,
3(10), 183–187. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.,
and Kangethe, R.T. (2009). Isolation of Theileria parva ring-infected
erythrocyte surface antigen <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>(RESA)
homolog. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Cell and Animal
Biology</i>, 3(10), 179–182. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.,
Oliseneku, E. E., Avwioroko, O. J., Aganbi, E., Orororo, O. C., and Anigboro,
A. A. (2016). A novel <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>pig
feed formulation containing Aspergillus niger CSA35 pretreated-cassava peels
and its effect on growth <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>and
selected biochemical parameters of pigs. <i>African Journal of Biotechnology</i>,
<span style="margin: 0px;">15</span>(19), 776–785.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J. (2004).
Cassava and the future of starch. <i>Electronic Journal of Biotechnology</i>, <span style="margin: 0px;">7</span>(1), 5–8.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Tonukari, N. J.,
Tonukari, N. J., Ezedom, T., Enuma, C.C., Sakpa, S.O., Avwioroko, O.J., Eraga,
L., and Odiyoma, <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>E., (2015). White gold:
cassava as an industrial base. <i>American Journal of Plant Sciences</i>, <span style="margin: 0px;">6</span>(7), 972.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="margin: 0px;"></span>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Nyerhovwo
Tonukari, PhD</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Head,
Department of Biochemistry</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Delta
State University, Abraka, Nigeria</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Editor,
African Journal of Biotechnology</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">http://www.academicjournals.org/journal/AJB</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Interim
Secretary, Society of African Journal Editors</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">http://africaneditors.org/</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Prof Nyerhovwo Tonukarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13447605567106749796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2315852687492964166.post-17662289107925256372012-09-05T05:31:00.004-07:002012-09-05T05:31:59.199-07:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dear Authors,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to thank you all for making the African Journal of
Biotechnology (AJB) a great success. We worked so hard to get it listed by
Thomson ISI in 2007. The first Impact Factor was released in 2008. As you now
know, there was no Impact Factor for AJB in the recently released list for
2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to assure you all that the Editor-In-Chief (Dr.
George Ude) and I have taken all measures to address the issues raised by ISI
and we are confident that we will be relisted. We are also making sure that
suggestions from you and all co-editors are incorporated in the measures.
Please continue to forward your ideas and suggestions to me or to the Chief
Editor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to mention that AJB is in the just released
hi5-index by Google with a score of 14. Also, the quality of articles published
in AJB is far higher than those published between 2002 and 2007. We are still
receiving hundreds of manuscripts monthly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can help us by writing good articles especially
reviews for publication in AJB. You can also assure your colleagues of the
integrity of the journal. We are putting
in our best to ensure that AJB remains the most prominent biological science
journal from Africa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you for your good will and support of AJB. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">NJ Tonukari, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Prof Nyerhovwo Tonukarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13447605567106749796noreply@blogger.com0