By Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
The VIce Chancellor of the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, (EKSU) Professor Eddy Olanipekun has expantiated on the reason for his persistent call on university professors to continue to present inaugural lectures at the university.
The VIce Chancellor made the clarification on Tuesday while speaking at the 79th Inaugural lecture titled: “FISH: The Unavoidable Aquatic Gold”, which was delivered by Professor of Fish Breeding and Genetics, at EKSU, Prof. Ronald Omotayo Fagbuaro.
Prof. Olanipekun explained that that though it is not compulsory for Professors to be delivering inaugural lecture but it is edifying.
His words,” I want to use this opportunity to thank my brother and friend, Professor Roland for heeding to my clarion calls to my fellow professors to come and deliver their inaugural lectures.
“Even though it is not mandatory for Professors to deliver inaugural lectures. It is something dignifying for every professor to come and share their stories, their contribution to knowledge and to the society.
“So, we just listened to the 79th delivered by Professor Roland from my own faculty, faculty of science and tomorrow by the grace of God we are going to listen to the 80th Inaugural lecture which will be delivered by one of us from the college of Medicine.
“I still want to use this medium to appeal to my colleagues professors to please put together their works and come here to come and share with us their own contributions to knowledge”.
The VIce Chancellor pointed out that the inaugural lecture was not just for academic purpose alone but added that it very important and useful for the society, saying the knowledge being shared will will also be useful for policy making to toward changing the narratives in the society.
“Some of their recommendations on issues and problems will be made used by the governments, and policy makers toward repositioning the country”.
He therefore called on individuals, corporate organizations, traditional rulers, government funtionaries and most expecially policy makers to be attending the inaugural lectures so as to gain from the knowledge being shared.
Earlier, while delivering his lecture Professor Fagbuaro had called on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to extend loan facility to Nigeria’s Fish Farmers without interest in order to boost the economy of the country and reduce food shortage.
Specifically, he described the essence of loan as a morale booster for Fish Farmers to produce more which in turn develop the economy and reduce the problem of food shortage in the country.
While emphasizing on some dangerous chemicals and medications used by fish farmers which infect consumers with tumours and cancers, he charged the federal government to enact law that will bring into justice anyone breeding fishes with human growth hormones.
“Central Bank of Nigeria has to extend loan facility to Fish Farmers at little of no interest rate.
“Likewise, government at various levels should initiate more programmes targeted at empowering fish farmers and other farmers to reduce the problem of food shortage.
“There should be law against breeding of fish with human growth hormone. The use of human growth hormone posed a great dancer to the fish consumers. When the antibiotics and some other medications intended for human use are used in breeding fish, the major long-term effects us that these chemicals or drugs will be stored in tissues of those involved fish and when consumed by man, they end up consuming different doses of residues of the chemicals from the flesh of the fish which will eventually develop to tumours and cancers.”
Speaking on insecurity and its effects on Fish Farmers, he charged the government at all levels to wake up and address the issue of security threats and hike in the price of food and other consumables.
“Nigerian Farmers and the population in general are confronted with unprecedented wave of different but overlapping Security crisis from Kidnapping called banditry and extremist insurgencies now.
“This has forced Fish Farmers and other Farmers to withdraw from farming activities and also led to exorbitant price of fish, feeds and food items.
On transportation, Professor Fagbuaro appealed to federal government to improve the state of road infrastructure to reduce cost of transportation and loses on the road, which will make sales easier for fish farmers and others.
Photos from the 79th inaugural lecture delivered by Professor Roland on Tuesday at the EKSU auditorium.
