The cancer research centre has become a full-blown event venue, hosting weddings and seminars instead of scientific work
Once a beacon of biomedical research, the Biomedical Training and Cancer Research Centre at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Yaba has been repurposed as an event centre. Opened in 2015, the facility now hosts weddings, corporate training sessions, and conferences.
Benjamin Obot, a hall manager, explained that their smaller venue fits 100 guests and costs ₦250,000 per day, while the main ‘Gallery’ hall accommodates 300 people at ₦350,000. A female manager added that food incurs an extra ₦30,000. “We don’t have to wait for the protocols of applying for fund for all the needs of the Institute… renting of the halls and suites as side hustle to generate revenue,” she said.
Despite these revenue efforts—guest rooms rent at ₦35,000—the infrastructure is deteriorating. The 100‑capacity hall is stained and untidy; air conditioners only work after manual wiring adjustments, and seminar chairs are broken. Toilets lack seat covers, and corridors are rusted and unhygienic.
Obot revealed that staff earn commissions and offered to help arrange ice blocks due to unreliable electricity. Security guards also charge ₦500 per car for parking.
Electricity debts reportedly exceeded ₦52 million in April. Once established to promote health research, the centre now bears little resemblance to a research facility.
The Director‑General recently described the state of the institute as “worrisome.”