The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has approved additional laboratories in Ibadan, Akwa Ibom, and Jigawa bringing the total number of NCDC-powered labs with capacity to test for COVID-19 in Nigeria to thirty three with two in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The three new laboratories are Biorepository & Clinical Virology Lab UCH, Ibadan, Molecular Diagnostics Lab, Infectious Disease Unit, General Hospital, Ituk Mkpang, Akwa Ibom, and Jigawa State Molecular Lab, Dutse. According to NCDC, the new labs will add to its Molecular Lab Network.
In April 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) added the Virology Laboratory of University College Hospital, Ibadan to the number of labs with the capacity to test for COVID-19.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of NCDC, had stated that each laboratory costs about 150 million naira to build and equip initially, and millions of naira to maintain.