Amid growing calls for Nigeria to strengthen homegrown medical innovation, the Federal Government has directed the nation’s leading health research institutions to mobilise scientific and financial support for the development of a potential indigenous treatment for brain cancer, following encouraging findings from a local research team.
The directive, issued by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Adekunle Salako, tasks the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) with leading the next phase of studies.
The order follows reports of a breakthrough compound discovered by scientists at the Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training (CAMRET), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, which early laboratory results suggest may be effective against several cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
Speaking during a virtual meeting with the heads of the research bodies, Salako described the discovery as a “potential game-changer” for Nigeria’s health system and a major step toward realising President Bola Tinubu’s health sector transformation agenda.
“This discovery underscores the need to strengthen Nigeria’s phytomedicine and biomedical research capacity,” the minister said. “A ministerial committee is already working to bring researchers, investors and the private sector together to accelerate pharmaceutical innovation and unlock value in the healthcare chain.”
Salako directed the CAMRET team to submit a detailed proposal to the ministry, outlining resource needs and next steps. He pledged the government’s technical and financial backing for continued development, commending the researchers for their dedication to advancing local medical science.
Presenting the findings, Amina Jega, who leads the CAMRET research group, said the active compound was derived from a plant species native to Northern Nigeria. Laboratory tests, she explained, showed that the extract destroyed brain cancer cell lines within 48 hours at specific concentrations.
Jega added that the compound is also undergoing testing against breast, liver, colon, cervical, leukemia, and lung cancers, with early results showing encouraging activity.
She emphasised that glioblastoma remains one of the deadliest brain cancers globally, with most patients surviving only 12 to 15 months after diagnosis due to resistance to existing treatments, a challenge she believes the Nigerian discovery could help address.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting homegrown scientific innovation, describing it as key to national health security and economic diversification.
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