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  • Dons, researchers, others for confab

    Dons, researchers, others for confab

    Dons, researchers, scientists, others, will attend the International Association of Research Scholars and Administrators (IARSA), Nigeria, Ghana and United States 10th International Conference on “Artificial Intelligence for a Green Future (ICAIGF25): Leveraging Education Research, Science, Technology and Innovation in the New Economy for Sustainable Development”.

    A statement  by Lead Facilitator and President General of IARSA Consortium, Prof. Akin Ogunsakin, noted that the event would take place at Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, from November 25-27.

    He said the conference is a platform for sharing research, exploring methodologies, and discussing applications of cutting-edge technologies.

    The don said topics are AI-driven solutions, advancements in communication technologies, breakthroughs in engineering, and innovations in industrial technology.

    “This event will gather academics, researchers, and professionals. It’s a platform for discussing advancements in AI for Green Future – leveraging education research, science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.

    Attendees will have the chance to exchange ideas and explore solutions to the challenges in these areas.

    “ICAIGF25 will feature keynote speeches from internationally recognized experts in AI for Green Future. Participants can attend oral presentations showcasing cutting-edge research. Interactive poster sessions will also be organized to facilitate discussions. These activities aim to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants.

    “The event will cover a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to AI for energy efficiency, climate change mitigation, smart cities, healthcare, and education, all aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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    “The event will typically feature keynote speeches, technical sessions, workshops, and panel discussions, providing attendees with opportunities to network, collaborate, and gain insights into the future directions of these dynamic fields. By fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue, the conference aims to address current challenges and explore future possibilities, contributing to the growth and development of technology and industry.

    “The organization will honour distinguished institutions, corporate bodies, and individuals with Research Excellence  Awards  in diverse areas of human endeavours. The Research Excellence Awards 2025 is a prestigious recognition bestowed upon individuals and institutions that have demonstrated outstanding dedication, innovation, and impact in addressing social challenges and advancing humanitarian causes.

    “The awards recognize institutions/organizations who demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing educational needs of the society, fostering community development, and promoting social inclusion and empowerment to women and youth by collaborating with stakeholders, mobilizing resources, and implementing innovative solutions, they tackle complex social challenges and drive positive change at local, national, and global levels.

    “Some of the confirmed speakers and judges at the event include but not limited to Prof. Ahmad M. Al-Fahed Nuseirat, Immediate Past President of Isra University, Amman, Jordan; Prof. Nashwa Fouad Attallah Hanna, Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Research Department Tourism Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University, Egypt; Dr. Vinay Singh, Department of Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India; Professor Emeka John Uhuka, President, IARSAC International University (IIU), United States; Prof. Dr. Syed Mohammed Tahir, President, Global Learning Centre, Dubai; Dr. Muhammad Kassim Olatunde BALOGUN, President, the Academy of Innovative Research, Science & Technological Development, Nigeria; Dr. Collins Nweke, President, International Association of Research Scholars & Administrators Corporation, United States; Prof. Dr. Elsayed Ahmed Elnashar, Depart of Textiles & Apparel, Faculty of Specific Education, Kaferelsheikh University, Egypt among others,” the statement said.

  • Geoscience experts discuss safety of researchers, students on fieldtrip

    Worried by the increasing risks and hazard associated with fieldworks in Nigeria, experts on the field of geosciences and mining gathered at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to discuss safety codes that will make fieldtrips pleasurable for students and researchers.

    The two-day event was said to have been sponsored by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari praised the organisers of the conference for the initiative, stating that safety of researchers and officers on the field was top priority of the ministry.

    The minister, who spoke through his representative, Emmanuel Ehlebi, warned that illegal miners faced a higher risk on the field than other field workers because of lack of training on safety precautions.

    He said: “We understand there are safety challenges associated with the field work; that is why the government has continued to encourage and support the formalisation of artisanal miners into cooperatives through which proper training are put in place to reduce mishaps in the minefields as contained in the existing laws in our roadmap.”

    Bwari told the Geology departments of all universities to include safety and health guidelines for fieldwork in their curriculum. He said that the ministry had been encouraging introduction of courses on safety and precautions in the curriculum of the Institute of Mining and Geosciences in Jos, Plateau State.

    The minister called for the review of the national guidelines for safety and health, which, he said did not adequately address the peculiarity of fieldwork accident.

    Prof Silas Dada, president of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, noted that the development of fieldwork safety codes for geoscientists and geotourists should be considered important than the formation of general safety and health guidelines.

    Such a code, Prof Dada said, should be comprehensive to include appropriate behaviour and conduct of geoscientists during fieldwork, roles of the community and governments at all levels, including relevant bill by the legislature.

    He added that the code should emphasise hands-on training of geoscience researchers undertaking fieldworks. The training according to him should focus on the right attitudes which prevent conflicts, respect local customs and beliefs and prioritise consultation and permission from land owners.

    The UNN Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba, described the conference as “timely engagement”, saying it would proffer solutions to the security risks faced by geoscientists as a result of terrorism, kidnapping and militancy.

    Prof Ozumba, who spoke through the Deputy VC for Academics, Prof James Ogbonna, said that the risks were fuelled by the absence of codes for conduct of fieldwork by Geosciences departments across varsities and inadequate funding of monitoring institutions.

    Highpoint was the presentation of a book titled: A code for Geoscientific fieldwork in Africa: Guidelines on health and safety issues in mapping, mineral exploration, geoecological research and geotourism. The book was written by Prof Theophilus Davis, a renowned geologist.

  • Researchers to use satellite for health services in Lagos, Oyo slums

    In the search for solutions to the deplorable health conditions in Nigeria’s urban slums, over 24 researchers and 15 urban slum dwellers are set to use satellite image (open street maps) to digitise and analyse access to health facilities in some urban slums in Lagos and Oyo states.

    Nigeria’s lead investigator of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Improving Health in Slums, Prof Akinyinka Omigbodun, broke the news yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, at the training of graduate students and slum dwellers on mapping health services in urban slums in Lagos (Bariga) and Oyo (Sasha and Idi-Ikan) states.

    The training was anchored by Dr Olakekan Taiwo.

    According to him, the multi-country study is aimed at improving health service delivery in selected communities in low and middle income countries.

    The research is intended to, among other objectives, assess the health care services available to urban slum dwellers and the accessibility of such services.

    The health challenges facing them become important in the face of growing urban slums and associated health service delivery constraints in Nigeria.

    Taiwo said researchers were conducting similar studies in Kenya, Pakistan and Bangladesh as part of the global NIHR project.

    Omigbodun noted that rapid urbanisation was displacing many people in Nigeria into urban slums.

    The expert noted that ailments and diseases, which were previously associated with rural settings, had begun to manifest with greater frequency in urban centres as an emerging global health concern.

  • Curators, scholars charge govt on loot of artefacts

    Curators, scholars charge govt on loot of artefacts

    Scholars, historians, curators and researchers have called on the government to initiate effort to recover Nigerian artefacts, looted away from the country by the colonialists and display in museums across the world.

    The scholars who claimed that they are aware of the excuses of in conducive environment, lack of safety and security for the artefacts as being claimed by the looters are not more than what could be addressed by the government to reclaim the numerous artefacts.

    The stakeholders spoke at a symposium organized by the Initiative For information, Arts and Culture Development in Nigeria (IACD) as parts of efforts to relaunch the organization formerly known as the Nigerian Society for Information, Arts and Culture (NSIAC), a non-governmental resource center.

    An art exhibition themed “Conversation With Heritage” and symposium entitled, “The Benin Loot And Their International Display” brought together historians, authours, scholars, curators and researchers around arts and culture, triggered by a book published on the way Benin artefacts are been displayed at the British Museum, by a Sweden based scholar.

    The author of the book, Dr. Staffan Lunden, a lecturer at the School of Global Studies, Gothenburg University, Sweden said he was challenged to interrogate the views of the British Museum on the Benin looted artefacts.

    Staffan who was visiting Nigeria and Africa for the first time, speaking on his book “Displaying the loot, the Benin objects and the British Museum”, also displayed the pictures of the items on display at the British Museum.

    He said, “The book is titled, ’displaying the loot, the Benin objects and the British Museum’,  is a book which deals with what the British museum says about the Benin loots and the objects looted from Benin since 1897 and I have found out that the topic is interesting to see what the museum says about such a sensitive topic.  The museum is kind of stakeholdering the issue as it relates to the overall question of if the objects should be returned or be kept where they are and that matters a lot. I could also mention that the British museum has its reason for not returning the objects as they claim that they have a universal museum meaning which it shows many different cultures put together equal levels.

    “The Benin objects are very important building stones in the British museum because the British museum run that story which says that when the objects first came to Europe, the Europeans were first surprise because they didn’t think that Africans could make this kind of advanced metal casting, the Europeans thought that it must have been the Portugese that were behind the creation but later the British museum scholars discovered that the objects were indeed indigenous.”

    The Vice President, IACD, Dr. Kolade Mosuro said the symposium on the book was to highlight the attention of the Nation to the loot of 1897 saying “we felt these are the kind of conversations we should be having because our culture and our heritages are our identity and those are who we are and they should be here with us.

    “We hope to bring more awareness to this idea of our objects and we also bring more exposures to indigenous arts representation like what arts meant to us. Because if we are indeed very serious about getting these artefacts back, we should start because even the British indeed knew that we are not serious about getting those things back and I think that was why the conversation has been dragging on for so long. If we are serious we should have conducive environment to keep our facilities and show that we are responsible as a nation too.”

  • Cassava diseases decrease productivity, say experts

    Farmers and researchers are lamenting low cassava productivity attributed to the impact of major diseases such as Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Steak Disease (CBSD).

    CBSD leads to root rot and  shows in yellowing and wrinkled leaves.

    Its attack can  cause  losses of up to 100 per cent  and  reduce the crop’s market value.

    According to experts,  CBSD has become an extremely serious constraint to cassava production.

    Addressing a Cassava Stakeholders’ Workshop organised by Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, the team leader of West Africa Virus Epidemiology (WAVE), Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed, noted  that cassava, a major root crop is at  risk  with threats of possible outbreak of CBSD, if proactive measures are not put in place fast.

    He described   CBSD as a  dangerous plant disease,because  of  the impact it can have on food and economic security.

    According to him, Nigeria’s  cassava is vulnerable to CBSD  and a broad range of diseases as well as less known viral strains across tropical cassava-growing regions.

    He said WAVE  aims to tackle issues of cassava viral diseases which is currently ravaging the sector.

    He said:  “Although CBSD has not been reported in Nigeria, it has invaded Uganda.In view of Nigeria’s position as the world’s leading cassava producer, the accidental introduction of the disease to Nigeria could cause a devastating food crisis with severe consequences on the economy.”

    He said the aim of the sensitisation was  to ensure a clear understanding of the virus threat .

    On the control of the virus, he  noted that the use of uninfected planting materials was  important and also the use of resistant cassava varieties.

    The National President, Nigeria Cassava Growers Association (NCGA), Mr Segun Adewunmi, says Nigeria can save N2 trillion from the importation of wheat, if appropriate measures are put in place to boost cassava cultivation.

    He said: “Cassava can actually trigger massive industrial revolution if the Federal Government can address challenges confronting the planting of cassava in the country.

    “There are over 20 products that could be exacted from cassava; Products such as  ethanol, industrial starch, glucose syrup and sweetener were incidental raw materials for numerous utility items with limitless market potential,’’ he said.

    He advised the Federal Government to support farmers by providing sufficient funds that could be used in carrying out research in tackling virus diseases ravaging cassava.

    The institution’s Vice-Chancellor,  Prof. Aderemi Atayero urged the government to work with farmers to reduce food prices amid fears many more people are dropping below the poverty line.

    Atayero,who spoke through the  Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof  Shalom Nwodo Chinedu noted that  increase in the price of  staple items such as garri.

    For instance, the don noted that the price of a bowl of garri has risen to N1000, which made it difficult for more families with less financial means to meet their basic needs.

    According to him, if the price of garri and other food items continue to rise, it will adds an extra burden on families who are struggling to meet other bills.

    He urged the government to  find ways to keep food costs down until the struggling economy get back on track.

    Team Leader, WAVE for Root and Tuber Crops of the university, Dr Angela Eni,  stressed the need to control  diseases affecting cassava productivity .

    Her words: “The kind of yield farmers get from cassava could provide food for over 800 million Africans.”

    Mrs Eni, an Associate Professor of Virolgy in the Department of Biological Sciences, who convened  the workshop, said  currently the first phase of the project was to address virus diseases affecting cassava productivity.

    Mrs Eni said: ”WAVE is preparing to respond rapidly in case the cassava brown stream virus spread to West African countries so that we do not have the repeat of Ebola crises.’’

    She added that the WAVE team will also share its major findings so far in each of its mandate States. Running concurrently in six West African Countries – Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’ Ivoire and Burkina Faso – the primary aim of the WAVE project is to work with cassava farmers and relevant stakeholders to develop a holistic strategy for improved cassava productivity.

    The Covenant University hub of the project has the mandate to undertake the project activities in the Southwestern and Northcentral states of Nigeria.

  • Don: Africa needs more researchers on peacebuilding

    Don: Africa needs more researchers on peacebuilding

    Prof Cyril Obi is the Project Director, African Peacebuilding Network (APN) of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), New York. At a workshop held at the  Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), last week, Obi shares the vision of the organisation and the rationale behind the workshop with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA. Excerpts:

    What are the core objectives of APN?

    The core objectives are three: to support African researches on conflict-affected countries and neighbouring regions of the continent, as well as the integration of African knowledge into global policy communities. APN gives grants to African researchers and does a lot of publicity and dissemination of research findings. We take images of the work and put it on the Internet.

    We support independent African research and make it accessible to key policy maker. APN accomplishes this by facilitating the transformation of the quality and scale of African research and consolidating on the contributions of

    African researchers and analysts, thereby connecting them with other African scholars, policy analysts, practitioners, and networks focusing on issues of peacebuilding, as well as with other policymaking communities around the world.

    What is the essence of this three-day workshop on research grant proposal writing?

    The workshop is part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by APN of SSRC and FUOYE on development of Africa. The essence is a training workshop targeted at young researchers with PhDs teaching in African universities, as well as practitioners working in research organisations and civil society organisations. This workshop is for West African scholars and practitioners only. Participants are from The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The whole essence is to bring in colleagues with interest in research that will work with our experts to help them improve the quality of their research so that they can compete internationally to win grants that will support the kind of work they want to do, hoping their work will impact positively on policies and practices in our sub-region.

    Does it mean that our researchers don’t know how to write proposals?

    Most academics are good at writing proposals for doctorate and masters

    Thesis; but this kind of proposal is specially tailored for research grants in peace building, which are very competitive. An average grant is about $15,000. So we support and train them to win this grant. In this case, the proposal is tailored towards grant on research on peacebuilding. It is a subject that is rather broad and relatively new in our part of the world.

  • Study opens door to new treatments for diabetes – Researchers

    A New study that was released by some researchers in the University of Otago and Aucklandon on Tuesday said that Women who took a naturally occurring probiotic were less likely to develop diabetes during pregnancy.

    Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system.

    The joint study by the universities of Otago and Auckland involved the probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, which was used to make fermented milk products such as yoghurt.

    The report said that it was given in capsule form to 194 women from early pregnancy, while 200 women received a placebo.

    Gestational diabetes was assessed at 24 to 30 weeks gestation.

    “Using the current New Zealand definition for gestational diabetes, 6.5 per cent of the women had diabetes in the placebo group, versus 2.1 per cent in the probiotic group.

    “This is a 68 per cent reduction.

    “We found that the protective effects were stronger among older women and were stronger among women who had previously had gestational diabetes,” said study leader Professor Julian Crane, of the University of Otago.

    Fasting blood glucose was also significantly lower among women taking the probiotic compared to placebo.

    “This is an exciting result suggesting that this probiotic may be interacting with the normal gut bacteria in some way to reduce glucose levels in pregnancy,” he said.

    The researchers previously showed that the same probiotic had effects on the immune system and reduced eczema by 50 per cent in infancy.

    Crane said that the next steps would be to investigate whether the probiotic could reduce the increasingly common risk in the population of developing diabetes.

  • Global membership for researchers, others

    A global research group, the International Association of Research Scholars and Administrators (IARSA), will confer membership status on some eminent scholars, researchers, statutes, educationists and administrators in the academia.

    The beneficiaries are from the United States of America (U.S.A), Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), India, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E)., Nigeria and other parts of the world.

    The membership categories include patron, senior fellow, fellow, associate fellow, senior member, member, associate member and student member.

    A pre-induction lecture will hold at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Conference Centre at Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.

    It will be performed by the renowned scholars in the academia on September 28 at 11 a.m prompt.

    The special guests of honour include governors, renowned jurists and dignitaries in the academia, private and public sectors from Africa, U.S.A, Canada and UK.

    In a statement by its General Secretary, Prof. (Mrs.) Ruth A. Inaolaji, IARSA said: “This well deserved honour is to recognise extraordinary intellectuals, outstanding achievers in the academic, research and professional advancement in the world. The finest and most useful method to recognise their accomplishments and to formally bestow upon the worthy scholars and researchers the respect they deserve is by the conferral of these membership status of the association.”

  • FUNAAB VC defends researchers

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Vice Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, has praised researchers  for enhancing local food production despite challenges militating against research.

    Oyewole, President, Association of African Universities (AAU), said it was wrong to say that lecturers were not doing enough research to avert hunger.

    He said the problems in agriculture, like that of the tomato ebola, needed research to solve.

    The VC, however, lamented that the university system was facing what he termed ‘massification’, which he explained as large students chasing few researchers and lecturers.

    He said the situation has forced most lecturers to spend more time teaching than researching.

    He lamented the paucity of funds for research.

    “We are in an environment where the culture of research is not being encouraged. How many research grants are available for researchers in Nigeria?” he asked.

    Oyewole noted that many researchers depend on foreign agencies to fund their work, adding that the facilities in Nigeria are not up to date.

    He said the lack of amenities, such as electricity, water, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), were some of the impediments to research in the country.

    “There is a limit to the type of research that one can do in this country,” he said, calling for a change.

    Oyewole said the Treasury Single Account (TSA) was impeding research in universities because institutions could not access grants for research.

    For instance, he said over $2 million for the Cassava Adding Value (C:AVA) project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and championed by Nigeria, through FUNAAB, in five  countries, was moved  into the TSA and could not be found almost a year after.

    “You can imagine the shock that our universities have, waking up one day to find out that our funds have been moved away from the commercial banks to an account that we can’t even identify,” he lamented.

    Now, he said the grant is in danger of being moved from Nigeria to the United Kingdom.

  • U.S. to back researchers

    The United States of America has promised to support Nigerian scholars seeking Fulbright and other scholarships in the United States for postgraduate programmes with plan to return to the country and contribute to its development.

    The Cultural Affairs Officer of the United States Embassy in Nigeria, Bob Kerr, made when he led a team from the Embassy to the university.

    He advised the scholars to come up with good research proposals devoid of typographical errors.

    Kerr, who commended the UNILORIN management for its impressive and peaceful atmosphere, described the campus as “a welcoming campus.”

    In his response, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, restated the university’s resolve to continue exchanging ideas and personnel with other institutions in order to facilitate development.

    At an interactive session with lecturers and postgraduate students of the university, the Mandela Washington Fellowship Programme Officer at the Embassy, Mr. Diran Adegoke, explained that the programme is designed for outstanding students or young people between age 25 and 35 from Sub-Saharan Africa who are offering some level of leadership in their communities.

     

     

    Mr. Adegoke added that five Nigerian students from UNILORIN have benefited from the scholarship programme.

    He stressed that the programme, which previously accommodated about 40 to 45 students, will in 2016 accommodate between 500 and 1,000 students.