By Jonathan Ugbal
The Nigerian Academy of Science at its Annual General Meeting held in Lagos on Thursday, February 6, appointed a professor, Ekanem Braide, as President-elect reports Premium Times.
Professor Braide served as the first Vice Chancellor of the Cross River University of Technology shortly after it was created and following the removal of her predecessor, Professor Kelvin Etta.
Also, she served as the first Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Lafia, Nassarawa state after it was created in 2010.
Premium Times quoted a statement by Dr. Oladoyin Odubanjo, the executive secretary of the academy which said Braide, a professor of parasitology/epidemiology, who is the immediate past Vice-President of the Academy, will be the first female president of the Academy in 43 years of existence when she takes over office in January 2021.
She was a member of the national committee that achieved the laudable feat of guinea worm eradication in Nigeria and “has a rich professional experience as a researcher and an administrator,” the statement read.
She will take over from Mosto Onuoha (Professor of pure and applied geophysics) and will lead the Academy in achieving an improved quality of life for the Nigerian society through the promotion and application of science and technology; as well as strengthen the nation’s ability to deliver the fruits of science to society by the acquisition, growth, and dissemination of sound scientific knowledge and facilitation of its use in the solution of major national problems.
Abubakar Sambo (Professor of Mechanical Engineering) is the new Vice-President of the Nigerian Academy of Science. He took over from Ms Braide at the recently held Annual General Meeting. Mr Sambo is a former Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, and is currently the chairman of the Ministerial Task Force on Power serving as advisory team on policies and innovative technologies.
The Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) was established in 1977. The Academy is the foremost independent scientific body in Nigeria dedicated to the development and advancement of science, technology, and innovation in Nigeria and brings scientific knowledge to positively guide policies/strategic direction of the country.