Science towards a clean and developed environment

An Inaugural Lecture delivered at Yaba College of Technology by Dr. Adeleke Atanda Abiodun, B.Sc. (Hons.) (Unilorin), M.Sc. (Unilorin), Ph. D. (UNAAB)

PROTOCOL
THE Rector, Dr. (Mrs.) Margret Kudirat Ladipo, Deputy Rector Academic, Mr. I.A. Akhuemonkan, Deputy Rector Administration, Dr. Adebakin, Registrar and Secretary to Governing Council, Mrs. B. C. Amapakabo, Other Principal Officers of the College, Dean School of Science and Deans of Other Schools here present, HOD, Chemical Science and other H.O.D. here present, Members of Academic Board, My Professional and Academic Colleagues, Alumni, Yaba College of Technology, My Lords, Spiritual and Temporal, My Students (former and present) Gentlemen of the Press, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

Introduction
I wish to commence this lecture by appreciating our Rector for allowing this unique academic exercise to continue after thirteen years, more importantly for approving my request for this inaugural lecture. I felt I should as soon as possible discharge my obligation of delivering my inaugural lecture since I have been saddled with the responsibility of organizing the College Inaugural Lecture since 2013.

Madam Rector Ma, It is an honour and pleasure to have been given the opportunity to give my Inaugural Lecture today. It is an honour because I am making history, being the first to do so in the School of Science. I describe it as a pleasure because the lecture will afford me the opportunity of discussing environmental science, environmental pollution and what I have been doing academically in the last three decades. I have been considering the topic for my Inaugural Lecture since I was appointed as the Chairman, College Inaugural Lecture Committee in 2013.

It is noteworthy that after I have considered other options like “The Travails of an Academic Scientist”; “Science Utilization and Impact”; Application of Science for Solving Societal Challenges” and some others, I finally settle for the original ideas of over three decades ago. The title of my lecture is ‘Science Towards a Clean and Sustainable Developed Environment”. This is borne out of a shocking experience I had when I was in the university over three decades ago, which influenced my choice of Environmental Pollution Management as a specialty, the direction of my research endeavours as an academic

Environmental Scientist.
It is interesting to note that when I completed my secondary school education in 1975, my plan was to become a Medical Doctor, as I thought I should do well in it, having obtained A’s in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Geography among others at the West African School Certificate Examination. In addition I hoped to be in a profession that would enable me to use my hands as well as my brain. However, after sitting for JAMB examination I was given admission to read medicine at University of Ibadan as my first choice. But on getting to University of Ibadan, I was seconded to University of Jos, on getting to Jos; I discovered that my name was not on their list. All efforts to get registered were in vain. I came back to Ibadan dejected and stayed overnight with my brother Dr. Bigbe Abiodun who advised that I should change my choice of institution as well as my course and I bulged. I came back to Lagos and stay with our big brother Chief (Surv.) T. A. Abiodun, he immediately contacted Mr. Ajijola who is the Registrar, University of Lagos then and happened to be his neighbor and Prof. Oyinloye, Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Ilorin. Mr. Ajijola gave me a letter to one Mr. Taiwo at JAMB office in Lagos and Prof. Oyinloye asked me to change my choice of University to University of Ilorin and that was it.

The shocking experience was that a friend and colleague of mine and many others lost their live in the flood that occurred at Ibadan which was tagged “Ogunpa Episode” in early 1980’s. I could not imagine how flood could have caused a lot of havoc and rendered hundreds of thousands people homeless. I was sad and challenged, I felt Environmental Management should be the area that I should pay attention to in my career as a chemist.

What is Environment?
The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all living and non-living things (biotic and abiotic) occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof.

Terminology and Concept
The concept of the natural environment can be broken down into a few key components:
Complete ecological units that function as natural systems without massive human intervention, including all vegetation, animals, microorganisms, soil, rocks, atmosphere and natural phenomena that occur within their boundaries.

Universal natural resources and physical phenomena that lack clear-cut boundaries, such as air, water, and climate, as well as energy, radiation, electric charge, and magnetism, not originating from human activity.

The natural environment is contrasted with the built environment, which comprises the areas and components that are strongly influenced by humans. A geographical area is regarded as a natural environment (with an indefinite article), if the human impact on it is kept under a certain limited level. This level depends on the specific context, and changes in different areas and contexts. The term wilderness, on the other hand, refers to Earth that has not been modified by human activity.

The “Environment” was described as “the issue of the year” internationally in 1970. It was not until 1988 that the “Environment” gained prominence as a prime issue in Nigeria, when institutional, legal and policy aspects of the environment began to receive serious attention. One of the reasons for this delay is the primary concern at the early stage of our national development for exploitation of our natural resources to secure the quantitative aspects of human needs; more food, more water, more energy, etc. while little or no attention was paid to the qualitative aspect of the conservation of our natural resources and overall protection of the environment.

Although, traditional society in its own unique way established certain norms of social behavior to secure human survival and protection against a hostile environment, today rapid social and technological developments have generated a need for additional and scientifically articulated protection against new environmental risks caused partly or wholly by human action or interaction with nature and those naturally occurring within the ecosystem 1.

The widely publicized 1988 “Koko Toxic Waste Dump” issue provided the impetus which sparked national focus on the environment and environmental protection as a national policy. Prior to 1988, legal and administrative measures covered mainly protective and preventive measures relating to environmental sanitation and public health; warning and emergency measures to reduce potential harm in case of natural disasters and catastrophic accidents.

The “Koko Toxic Waste Dump” issue revealed the gross inadequacy of the then existing national laws, which were designed simply to preserve the “utility” of the nation’s air, land and water and were not promulgated essentially as comprehensive environmental protection laws. Nigeria is party to several environmental protection related multilateral treaties which have become part of our national laws either by subsequent national enactment or by virtue of customary international law.

Perhaps the most significant outcome of the efforts and activities following the “Koko Toxic Waste Dump” is the adoption of a National Policy on the Environment and the enactment by protection statues – Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Provisions, etc.) Decree, 1988. Decree No. 42; and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency Decree, 1988, Decree No. 58. With these enactments, the main institutions for dealing with environmental regulations have been formulated and legal regulation of environmental controls has transformed into a more fairly definite regime.

Exploitation, Conservation and Protection of the Environment
The Nigerian environment like other national environments had at a time in history been a victim of human exploitation. At that stage of national development, the quest was primarily for survival of man. This attitude in fact spanned the period from the first national development plan through the third national development plan.

Indeed its ghost still haunted the Fourth National Development Plan 1981 – 85, although the latter acknowledged that one of the reasons why the Nigerian government had failed to address the issue of the environment was because in the past the government was more concerned with exploiting the natural resources to secure adequate food, etc. for the people.

In order to ensure sustainable growth, development, and the provision of the basic needs of man it is now certain that exploitation of natural resources must pave way for sustainable exploitation or conservation and protection of these resources for the benefit of the present and future generations.

Although the idea of conservation is probably as old as the human species, the use of the word in its present context is relatively recent. Over the years conservation has acquired many connotations: to some it has meant the protection of wild nature, to others the sustained production of useful materials from the resources of the Earth. The most widely accepted definition, presented in 1980 in World Conservation Strategy by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, is that of “the management of human use of the biosphere so that it may yield the greatest sustainable benefit while maintaining its potentials to meet the needs and aspiration of future generations”.

The document defines the objectives of the conservation of living resources as: maintenance of essential ecological processes and life – support systems, preservation of genetic diversity, and guarantee of the sustainable use of species and ecosystems. More generally, conservation involves practices that perpetuate the resources of the Earth on which human beings depend and that maintain the diversity of living organisms that share the planet.

Conservation is necessarily based on knowledge of ecology, the science concerned with the relationship between life and the environment, but ecology itself is based on a wide variety of disciplines, and conservation involves human feelings, beliefs, and attitudes as well as science and technology.
Concepts and Important of Conservation – “The need for Natural Resources”

Like “conservation” itself, the term natural resources has undergone an expansion in meaning as a result of a greater understanding of the relationship of human beings with the world they inhabit. Early in the 20th century natural resources were viewed primarily as sources of useful commodities. They were the raw materials in the environment that were used or capable of being used by people for some purpose: minerals and fuels, forest and grazing resources, wildlife, fisheries, and the like. In a restricted sense, the term is still used in this way.

More recently, however, the concept of natural resources has been broadened to include the total natural environment that is the entire surface layer of the planet because all parts of the Earth’s surface are use and of value in that they contribute to the production of the necessities and amenities that people require or demand. Thus, when considered in this respect, the atmosphere, oceans, deserts, and Polar Regions have all become valuable resources that must be managed with care to provide for the future 2.

Conservation is of great scientific value. Because relatively little is known about the past, present, and possible future of the biosphere, natural outdoor laboratories, including areas of undisturbed nature, must be maintained in order to conduct the studies needed to acquire knowledge.

Moreover, there are many natural resources with undiscovered scientific and technological values. If, for example, all apparently worthless rosy periwinkle plants had been destroyed, an important drug used in treating leukemia would not have been discovered. Because each wild plant and animal contains a storehouse of genetic and biochemical information, that could ultimately have great value for mankind’s welfare or survival 3
Sustainability

Sustainability is the key to preventing or reducing the effect of environmental issues. There is now clear scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably, and that an unprecedented collective effort is needed to return human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits.[2][3] For humans to live sustainably, the Earth’s resources must be used at a rate at which they can be replenished.
What is Sustainable Development?

The National Policy on the Environment is premised on the principle of sustainable development.

• Abiodun is of the Department of Chemical Sciences, School of Science, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos

TO BE CONTINUED