Nigeria Has the Microbes to Cut Drug Imports but Lacks the Will, Professor Warns at Inaugural Lecture

A Professor at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila Orangun, has warned that Nigeria's continued dependence on imported pharmaceuticals, polymers and bio based chemicals is draining the country's foreign reserves and stifling industrial growth that could otherwise be driven by local scientific capacity.

Professor Simiat Jimoh, a specialist in Biochemistry and Food Biotechnology, delivered the University's maiden inaugural lecture on the theme "Fermenting the Future: Harnessing Microbial Metabolism for Sustainable Technological Innovations," arguing that Nigeria already possesses the raw materials and the scientific expertise to reduce that dependence significantly.

Her case rests on the largely untapped potential of fermentation technology. She described bacteria and fungi as capable of generating high value industrial bioproducts while simultaneously offering solutions to pressing health, agricultural and environmental challenges. "Microbial systems generate high value molecular intermediates and industrial bioproducts while also offering practical solutions to pressing challenges of health, agriculture, energy, and material science," she said, adding that when properly guided by sound scientific design, microbes can drive technological progress that is both biologically grounded and environmentally responsible.

Among the specific applications she highlighted, Jimoh noted that through strategic microbial processing, agricultural waste materials can be converted into bioethanol, diabetic friendly sweeteners, biosurfactants for use in detergents and environmental remediation, and biodegradable plastics. She described laboratory investigations as a "gold mine" for national development and called on government to increase investment in local research infrastructure and capacity.

"The persistent reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, polymers, and bio based chemicals has hindered industrial independence and continually strained the country's foreign reserves. Yet embedded in our abundant agricultural residues and rich indigenous microbial diversity lies a transformative opportunity," she said.

For University students studying microbiology, biochemistry and related disciplines, the lecture underlines a direct connection between their fields of study and some of the most critical industrial and health challenges Nigeria faces, and points to careers built on solving problems the country has the resources but not yet the institutional will to address.