A preliminary report of a Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) research conducted in Yobe State has indicated the presence of heavy metals in water samples consumed by residents of Gashua town.
The Lead Researcher and Director of the Biomedical Research and Training Centre (BioRTC), Yobe State University, Damaturu, Prof. Mahmoud Maina, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Monday.
NAN reports that Gashua, Jakusko and other communities along the Yobe River have for decades grappled with a high burden of renal failure, resulting in elevated mortality and morbidity rates.
Maina, a neuroscientist and Adviser to Gov. Mai Mala Buni on Science, Research and Innovation, said metals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic were detected in the samples and were known potential triggers of CKD.
“These metals should not be close to the human environment under normal circumstances. If they are present, they can cause not only kidney disease but also other conditions such as cancer and dementia,” he said.
He explained that the preliminary findings also showed that CKD in the area was significantly driven by known conditions like diabetes and hypertension, adding that fishermen were disproportionately affected compared to other occupational groups.
According to him, BioRTC, in collaboration with a 50-member team of scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, Ghana and other countries, collected more than 3,000 human and environmental samples for the study.
The samples, he said, included urine, blood, food items, farm soil, as well as river and borehole water.
Maina listed the experts involved in the state government-sponsored research to include nephrologists, geologists, chemists, physicians, geneticists and environmental scientists.
He noted that a more detailed and comprehensive report on the findings would be released in January 2026.
The director, who was recently turbaned as the “Shettima Ilmube” of the Damaturu Emirate Council, also spoke on a dementia research programme recently launched by the centre.
He said lifestyle data, blood samples and skin biopsies were collected from 1,200 high-risk individuals for genetic analysis and screening for biomarkers.
Maina explained that dementia, though commonly associated with ageing, was not a normal part of ageing, describing it as a progressive condition marked by memory loss, confusion and inability to manage daily activities.
He said the centre was utilising Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) technology to analyse dementia, especially in the absence of brain donors.
“With a small tissue or blood sample, we can convert them into stem cells and further into brain cells that reflect the biology of the donor. This allows us to study dementia risk and prevention without accessing the person’s brain,” he said.
Maina added that the iPSCs technology could also accelerate drug development and treatment for dementia and related conditions.
He warned that dementia cases in Africa could rise by 300 per cent in the next 25 years, citing recent studies, and noted that the global financial burden of the condition exceeded three trillion dollars.
The director commended the Buni-led administration for funding BioRTC’s operations, sponsoring staff for foreign training and constructing a permanent office for the centre, scheduled for inauguration in January.
He said BioRTC, founded in 2021, had trained over 1,000 scientists in research and innovation, and attracted research funds and equipment valued at about N6 billion through international collaborations.
Maina identified corruption, inadequate funding and limited access to equipment as major challenges confronting research and innovation in Nigeria and Africa, and called on government and philanthropists to invest more in science and innovation.
According to him, sustained support for research would help solve societal problems, improve visibility of scientific impact and position Nigeria among global knowledge hubs.
