A former member of the House of Representatives, Prince Ned Nwoko, has said a scientific research on how to develop a vaccine for malaria will commence in five African universities in February.

The research, the former lawmaker added, is part of a programme put in place by the Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation to stamp out malaria in Africa within five years.

The PUNCH had reported that the campaign to wipe our malaria from Africa with the sum of $750,000 (about N270 million), was flagged off in December 2019.

Nwoko had explained that under the “audacious journey towards a malaria-free Nigeria and Africa”, another grant of $150,000 would be made available to be accessed by scientific scholars in five Universities in Africa.

He unfolded the date for the commencement of the research in an interview with journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on his return from a trip to Antarctica.

Stressing the importance of a malaria vaccine to health, he described the first phase of the process of eradicating malaria, which involves the fumigation of the environment, as a serious project that required the input of all individuals and the three tiers of government.

Nwoko said, “Antarctica is a continent about the same size as Africa. I was there first to create awareness of the plan to eradicate malaria, which is a big problem in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

“I had meetings with some scientists because this project involves two solutions. We must clean up and fumigate Nigeria. We must look at what should be done to clean up Nigeria.

“Malaria is the biggest killer and the time has come to address it. Everybody, including government at all levels must join hands together to make sure that we find a solution to malaria.”

Nwoko, who hoisted the Nigerian flag as the 13th country to make its presence felt in Antarctica, a destination for science and research, urged the Nigerian government to take the appropriate steps to become a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty signed by 12 research active countries on December 1, 1959 in Washington DC.

He said, “Nigeria must take the steps to become a signatory to that treaty. When that is done, we can begin to consider the possibility of having a station there with our own scientists doing all they are required to do.”