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- Organizes Sensitization Workshop for Secondary School Students
From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
Worried by the increasing rate of soil degradation, and lack of knowledge of soil’s importance to humanity, the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS) has organized a workshop to educate students of secondary schools on the need to protect our soil.
The workshop which took place on Wednesday at the Soil Science Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) with the theme “Workshop on Encouragement of Soil Science Awareness at the College Level in Nsukka, Eastern Nigeria”, was also aimed at encouraging secondary school students to study Soil Science and other related Agriculture courses in the university.
The Coordinator, South East zone of the Institute, Prof Charles Asadu in a remark during the workshop explained that there is a need to know the importance of man’s role in preserving soil.
According to him” If we destroy our soil, we have destroyed ourselves, hence the need for us to know that whatever we do, has either positive or negative effects on our soil.
“This workshop is to encourage students at the college level to know about soil science and what soil science is all about.
“It is a follow-up of earlier workshops which we went round the schools to educate them on the job opportunities on the study of soil science,” he said
On the need for sensitization, Prof. Asadu explained that “sensitization is very important to us especially in Nigeria because people don’t understand what soil science is all about and the relevance of soil science in society. You know without soil there is no society. We cannot toil with soil. Anybody who toils with soil, toils with life.”
Narrating further, he said “We have to give them support financially. We are going to give them sweet potatoes. They are going to have gardens where they practice these things. By November, they will be able to harvest what they planted.”
On the sustainability of the program, Prof. Asadu said that the program is done in all the five states of the South East zone. “So, it is not something that starts and ends here. It is across south East zone and all other geopolitical zones in the country.”
In his speech lecture, one of the resource persons in the workshop Prof. Sunday Obalum explained that ” the roles of the physical nature of soils in shaping their use and management in especially agricultural production has been relegated to the background. The sub-discipline of soil physics came to the limelight after re-orientation about a century ago.”
Narrating further, Obalum said that “in view of this intricate relationship between soil and water, on one hand, and between soil and the rest of the ecosystem, on the other, understanding soil hydrology is critical for the beneficial use of the soil mainly for food production,” he said.
Daily Sun gathered that the participating students are drawn from schools like Community Secondary School, Nru Nsukka, Community Secondary School, Alor-Uno, Nsukka, Hillview Secondary School, Nsukka, and Nsukka High School, Nsukka all in Nsukka local government areas of Enugu state.
In a chat with our reporter, one of the students from Community secondary school Nru who gave his name as Soromtochukwu Ameh expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the program.
According to him, the workshop has enabled him to understand what soil science is all about to make maximum and better use of soil.
Asked if he will study science in the university, Master Ameh answered in the positive, saying that that will give him more opportunities to know more about soil science and what it is all about.
Another participant from Community secondary school Alor-Uno, Miss Chidebere Ukweze said “I am so happy to be here today. I learned so many things today. I learned that soil is very important to life and that without soil you can do nothing. I also learned that if you destroy soil, you are destroying life. I am going to study Soil Science because I have seen so many importance of soil to our life.”
A student of Hillview Unique Secondary School, Master Emmanuel Onugu also told our reporter that he was happy to be part of the program.
According to him, he has learned so many things during the workshop which he will share with his friends and classmates in school.
Onugu further stated that though he will not make Soil Science his first choice in his course of study during UTME, he will choose the course if he can’t get his first course.
The high points of the workshop were the exhibition of some soil products, the distribution of school bags to the students, and the opening of savings accounts for the students by a Microfinance bank in the area.
