Covid-19: We produced ventilator in seven days – Rector

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Dr Olusegun Aluko, has disclosed that it took only seven days for a team of researchers in the institution to design and fabricate a ventilator. Aluko, an architect, spoke yesterday at the institution’s laboratory while fielding questions from journalists. The Rector unveiled the ventilator last week when a […]

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Dr Olusegun Aluko, has disclosed that it took only seven days for a team of researchers in the institution to design and fabricate a ventilator.

Aluko, an architect, spoke yesterday at the institution’s laboratory while fielding questions from journalists.

The Rector unveiled the ventilator last week when a team of the state government, led by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, and the Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, visited the tertiary institution to appraise the life-saving product.

Aluko explained that the need to find relief for victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria inspired the ventilator project.

He said that in the wake of the ravaging pandemic, the institution came up with the idea of inventing a world-class ventilator.

He added that the idea was put forward to the Poly community and within a short period, 14 volunteers agreed to take up the challenge.

He admitted that the lockdown posed a great challenge to researchers when they were scouting for the materials needed to fabricate the ventilator.

“Where we were expected to use a certain material that could not be sourced in the market due to the lockdown, our group of technicians and technologists ensured they produced something of great quality, tested and certified to make do for the one we couldn’t get in the market,” he said.

The Rector explained that a total sum of N1.2 million was expended on the project and unused materials on ground can still be applied to mass produce once more funds are available.

“I think a ventilator of this magnitude costs around N7m in the market. But we have been able to produce it at a relatively low price, and we have a more standard ventilator for the use of our people,” he said.