Biotechnology, panacea to contemporary coastal environmental problems - Don

By Aderemi Bamgbose

A don, Prof. Olugbenga Ehinola, has identified biotechnology as panacea to the contemporary issues in coastal environment and achieving the Millennium Sustainable Development Goals (MSDGs).

Ehinola, Aret Adams Professorial Chairman, Geological Studies, University of Ibadan,

He stated this on Thursday at the "First International Conference” at Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the public lecture entitled: ‘Contemporary Issues in Coastal Environmental Sustainability’ had as its theme: “Environmental Biotechnology: Key to Achieving Millennium Sustainable Developmental Goals.”

Ehinola, the Keynote Speaker, noted that the society was faced with numerous challenges, adding that for it to meet MSDGs, there must be concerted efforts through collaborative approaches and possession of specialised problem-solving skills.

He highlighted the key contemporary issues to include: climate change impacts, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, pollution and marine debris, coastal developmental pressure, over exploitation of coastal resources and loss of coastal wetlands, among others.

“The objective is to help understand better the interactions among economic development model, the political institution, environmental impacts, ecosystemic services and human welfare.

“The society is faced with numerous challenges and for it to meet the MSDGs, there must be concerted efforts through collaborative approaches and possession of specialised problem-solving skills,” he said.

Also speaking on the topic, Prof. Folashade Olajuyigbe, the Director of Central Research Laboratory and Group Leader, of Enzyme and Environmental Biotechnology Research, Department of Biochemistry, Adekunle Ajasin University of Technology (FUTA), Akure.

She concluded that Environmental Biotechnology plays a vital role in supporting sustainable development goals especially in: enzyme production for industrial and biotechnological applications to sustain life below water and on land production of renewable energy, cleaning up pollutants from contaminated water, and restoring the quality of land and water through environmental bioremediation.

The Guest Speaker, Ibrahim Katampe, a professor of Chemistry at John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology and Agriculture, Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio, USA, spoke virtually on the topic: ‘Coastal Environmental Sustainability: An Imperative for the 21st Century Researchers’.

Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olaide Adelami, said the conference was timely, as it would x-ray most of the challenges facing the immediate environment and the ecosystem.

Adelami urged students to key into discussions at the conference, while also commending the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, for his developmental vision which, he said, had brought about development in the institution’s environment.

He expressed the confidence that, in no distant time, the institution would be ranked among the best in the country and in Africa.

“This conference is timely because it is going to x-ray major challenges and problems confronting our environment and the ecosystem,” the deputy governor said.

The vice-chancellor of OAUSTECH said that the Federal Government had approved a deep sea port in the coastal area of Ilaje.

Ologunorisa said that the university had also established a Marine Academy in order to produce the critical manpower to drive the blue economy.

He urged both the federal and state governments to prioritise the opportunities for possible economic growth for the state and the country at large.

The vice-chancellor, who noted that most of the institution’s projects had been abandoned, urged the state government to do the needful so that the contractors handling the projects could return to site.

NAN reports that members of the academia, government functionaries, students and staff members of the institution attended the conference. (NAN)