Health
Don advocates biological solutions to environmental pollution
Umar Sani
A Professor of Ecology at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Prof Ahmad Abdulhameed, has called for the adoption of biological solutions to address environmental pollution and ecological degradation caused by human activities.
Abdulhameed made the call on Tuesday while delivering the university’s 48th inaugural lecture titled, “The Earth on Overdose: The Anthropocene and the Call for Ecological Restoration.”
He explained that the Anthropocene refers to the era in which human activities have become the dominant force shaping the Earth’s environment.
“The idea is the human activity and the resultant effect of human activity on Mother Earth and the environment,” he said.
According to him, industrialisation, urbanisation, domestic pollution, aquatic pollution and atmospheric pollution are among the major consequences of human activities.
“So, these cause a lot of pollution through industrialisation. Urban pollution, domestic pollution, aquatic pollution and atmospheric pollution are all consequences of human activities,” he said.
The don noted that although humans continue to exploit the earth’s resources to improve their standard of living, such activities have significantly damaged the environment and contributed to climate change and global warming.
“And the resultant effect is damaging the earth itself. We have seen the consequences of climate change and the resultant global warming,” he added.
However, Abdulhameed assured that there is still hope for restoring the environment through sustainable biological approaches.
“It is not a call for despair, but we still have hope. The use of biological solutions such as bio-pesticides, bio-fertilisers and bio-stimulants will help solve the problem,” he stressed.
He also called for attitudinal change towards environmental conservation.
“We have not inherited this world from our grandparents; we borrowed it from our children. So, we need to conserve nature for the future of our children and grandchildren,” he cautioned.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Ibrahim Garba, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to sustaining its inaugural lecture series.
“During the last two inaugural lectures, I mentioned and repeated our commitment to sustain this important academic exercise. I am glad that today we are witnessing the third inaugural lecture being held in quick succession, and we shall not be complacent until every professor in the service of this university is given the opportunity to deliver his inaugural lecture,” Garba said.
He expressed concern over the poor response from eligible professors.
“In spite of this encouraging development, I still urge our professors to come forward and apply for the presentation of their individual inaugural lectures, as the response to this call is still not encouraging enough.
“By this time, we should have several requests lined up for the exercise, which is exactly what is expected from eligible presenters,” he added.
Garba commended the university’s Ceremonies Committee for its efforts and urged it to intensify awareness of the new application process, which replaced the previous arrangement of presentation based on seniority.
He also encouraged the committee to explore opportunities to invite distinguished academics and experienced public and private sector administrators to deliver periodic public lectures.
“There are academics in public service and seasoned administrators who are leading sensitive organs of government and private organisations and have a lot to share with us on this platform. I am sure the committee will do the needful in this regard,” the vice-chancellor said.
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