The purported scientific
feat that ordinarily deserves to be celebrated in the medical science world and
the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, where the breakthrough was made
as one of the renowned citadel of learning in the South –South geopolitical
zone of the country became controversial.
The controversy came when authorities of the institution in
surprise reaction disowned a lecturer in the university and the inventor of an
alleged cure for Human Immune Virus (HIV) and the Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS), Professor Isaiah Ibeh.
Ibeh’s announcement in Benin City last Tuesday of a breakthrough
in his efforts towards the development of a new drug, which he had spent
sleepless nights to research on, however tore the management of the academic
community apart.
The management of the university, which felt embarrassed
when it read about the discovery in the pages of newspapers, immediately moved
to coax the professor, who was already basking in the euphoria of the media
attention the discovery was generating. However, Ibeh’s celebration was
short-lived when a statement issued by the authorities of the University
pooh-poohed the breakthrough, apparently forcing the inventor to retract his
earlier announcement of the purported discovery when he said; “The true position
is that some observations of our research are preliminary and the research is
still ongoing.”
Speaking further, the lecturer said; “I am very sorry for the
embarrassment this has caused the university of Benin and professional
colleagues, realizing that there are procedures of reporting such scientific
results.”
Obviously embarrassed by the claims of Ibeh who is the Dean of
Basic Medical Sciences in the University on the cure for HIV/AIDS, the Public
Relation Officer of the institution, Harrison Osarenren, immediately
dissociated the University from the alleged discovery, insisting that the drug
could not cure HIV and AIDS.
However, there seems to be more that meets the eyes over claim
and counter claims by the inventor and the university as interested stakeholders
within the academic circle are of the view that the authorities of the
institution disowned the scientific feat because Ibeh, according to informed
sources does not belong to the inner circle of the Vice Chancellor, Professor
Osayuki Oshodin, who decides who becomes who and achieve what.
According to an academic staff who craved anonymity for fear of
being victimized, Ibeh was intimidated by the power that be to disown his own
scientific finding or be frustrated out from the institution.
“This is a painstaking research that started in 2010 and
culminated in the development of Deconcortion X (DX) –liquid or Bioclean 11 for
the cure of HIV/ AIDS, carried out by a renowned professor in the medical
sciences that deserves to be celebrated globally but regrettably was subjected
to academic campus politics. In other climes where research receives serious
attention and proper funding, this kind of discovery should be encouraged and
not by asking mundane questions that laid down procedure for making breakthroughs
known was not followed. How on earth can they discredit such discovery on these
excuses?, he queried.
For Mr. Imade Johnson, a public commentator, he blamed the ugly
development on high level conspiracy to frustrate Ibeh by those, who according
to him, benefits largely from funds from international organization towards the
research and cure into HIV/AIDS scourge, as permanent cure may put them out of
job completely.
Johnson said; “That is why they continue to fund agencies like
the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, so they come up with all sorts of
tactics to discourage anyone claiming to have found the cure. Remember Dr
Jeremiah Abalaka when the Federal Government then instituted legal battle to
ascertain the efficacy of his suspected and preventive vaccine when they banned
the vaccines even when top government officials through their agents secretly
went to obtain treatment.”
Corroborating these positions, the university’s image maker,
Osarenren in signed statement stated; “ As a reputable institution , well
rooted in the promotion of research and development, the university considers
the publicized claim an embarrassment, bearing in mind that there are laid down
procedures for disseminating academic breakthroughs.
“Sadly, the procedure did not follow the laid down protocol in
the circumstances. For the avoidance of doubt, the said claim by Professor Ibeh
is a research exercise which is still in its infancy and therefore ongoing.”
In a recent interview, Ibeh was quoted to have said; “We are at the
threshold of making history in the sense that we seem to have with us something
that will permanently take care of what over time seems to have defied all
solutions.
“We are talking about the latest discovery of an oral drug made
from plant extraction in Nigeria for the possible cure of the pandemic, HIV and
AIDS virus.”
Speaking on the matter, Provost of the College of Medical
Sciences, University of Benin, Professor Vincent Iyawe, sued for caution, just
as he noted that an in-house investigation was on-going to establish Ibeh’s
alleged discovery.
Iyawe also noted that procedural process by the tertiary
institution in research findings were not adopted hence the University couldn’t
substantiate Ibeh’s claim.
He said; “the school cannot take the credit; the school would
like to take the credit for the breakthrough but if the school cannot align
with such a breakthrough, because the university college was not consulted as
well as the University. He didn’t carry any one of us along. So this is the
issue.”
Iyawe maintained that researchers have a responsibility to
ensure that they follow the requisite procedures and protocols of their
respective institutions to establish whatever discovery and invention before
going to the press, pointing out that Ibeh did not adhere to that in his
HIV/AIDS research findings.
However, the provost, after series of meetings with authorities
of the institution, concluded by saying; “The publication with reference to our
HIV/AIDS research findings was a misinterpretation of what actually
transpired.”
Source: Leadership
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