The Nigerian Society for Immunology (NSI) has had an eventful 2026 so far with students attending training across the world, marking World Immunology Day with a full programme at the University of Ibadan, and seeing its president recognised with one of Nigeria’s most senior academic honours.

Student Training

Miss OmojoOluwa Ifeanu Oyebimpe, an MSc student in the Department of Immunology at the University of Ibadan, won a FAIS scholarship to attend the IUIS-IPM-Immuno-Madagascar Advanced Immunology Course in Ampefy, Madagascar, from 13 to 18 April 2026. Miss Busayo Faizat Aminu, also an MSc student in the department, won a FAIS scholarship to the IUIS-CIS-Immuno-Cameroon Course 2026 in Yaoundé, themed “Immune Tolerance: Impact on Health and Disease,” running from 23 to 28 November. And Miss Aanuoluwapo Henrietta Williams secured a BRAINS scholarship for a ten-month research internship, from February to November 2026, in Professor Abdoullah Badou’s laboratory at Hassan II University in Casablanca, Morocco.

The International Day of Immunology

The department’s 3rd Annual Immunology Discourse, held on 29 April 2026, to celebrate the Day of Immunology 2026. Two guest lecturers anchored the day. Dr Adewonuola Alase, a research fellow at the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds, spoke on regulatory T cells as guardians of immune balance. Dr Ayokulehin Kosoko of the UK Health Security Agency followed with a lecture on the immunology of the brain, tracing how the once “immune-privileged” central nervous system is now understood to be in constant, bidirectional dialogue with the peripheral immune system, with implications for multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative disease, stroke and brain tumours.

Around the lectures, MSc students presented posters on their ongoing and completed research, staff and students took part in an immunology quiz, and the day closed with a cake-cutting ceremony and the presentation of an immunoglobulin-structured wall clock, a fitting piece for an immunology department.

Further Training

NSI members carried immunology training and outreach further afield through the year. Professor O.G. Arinola delivered the keynote address at the induction ceremony and symposium of the Public Health Department at Redeemer’s University, Ede, on the theme of vaccination in Nigeria. Mr Osikorobia James Goddey attended a grantsmanship workshop for early-career researchers at the University of Ibadan, and Dr S.K. Rahamon presented on plasma IL-40 and total IgA levels in substance use disorders at the 2026 National Institute on Drug Abuse International Forum, hosted by the US National Institutes of Health.

Promotions

The society marked two promotions to full professor this year: Dr A.A. Onifade, in the Department of Immunology at the University of Ibadan, and Dr H.M. Al-Hassan, in the School of Medical Laboratory Science at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. NSI’s president, Professor O.G. Arinola, already a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, added a further distinction in January 2026 with his election as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medical Specialties.

Research Grants

Two IBR-TETFUND grants went to NSI members this year. Professor Arinola is investigating gut bacteria and their metabolites in drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients, and separately leads a study on a six-month zinc, vitamin D and selenium combination in community-dwelling elderly Nigerians. Dr Rahamon is co-investigator on a study of inflammatory and gut-immune axis markers in thyroid patients treated with radioactive iodine.

The department’s publication record this year ranged from tuberculosis immunometabolism and nutritional status studies to contributions on several Global Burden of Disease Study collaborations published in The Lancet, on topics spanning HIV, lower respiratory infection and mental disorders, alongside a steady output on biomarkers in mental illness, cancer and pesticide-exposed farmworkers.

Congratulations NSI

Between scholarships that send its students across Africa and Europe, a Day of Immunology in Ibadan, NSI’s year so far offers a useful snapshot of what FAIS membership delivers in practice: mobility, visibility and a growing evidence base built at home.

Call for papers

NSI also have a call for papers visit their website to find out more – https://immunologynigeria.org