A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, said on Monday his team had discovered a cure for the deadly coronavirus.
Iwu, who is the chief executive officer of Bioresources Institute of Nigeria, disclosed this when he led his team of researchers to brief the minister of science and technology, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu and his health counterpart, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in Abuja.
He said the institute identified and patented the possible COVID- 19 treatment in 2015 and now needs the federal government’s support to translate the compound into a drug for the treatment of the virus.
It would be recalled that Nigeria recorded its first case of coronavirus last Thursday, February 27.
“The federal ministry of health has confirmed a coronavirus (Covid-19) case in Lagos State Nigeria. The case which was confirmed on 27/02/2020 is the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020 @WHO @BBCWorld #CoronaVirusUpdates pic.twitter.com/uF79NYzvAz
— Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) February 27, 2020
Lagos State ministry of health also confirmed the case in a statement.
“The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the 25th of February from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit. He fell ill on the 26th February and was transferred to Lagos State Biosecurity Facilities for isolation and testing.
“#COVID2019 infection was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital @LUTHofficial, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control @NCDCgov.
“The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital (Mainland Hospital) in Yaba, Lagos,” it said.
