UNILAG don warns on food security, seeks adequate funding for agric

By Gabriel Dike

 

•Prof. Lawal-Are (2nd right) with management team led by Prof. Chukwu

 

A Professor of Fisheries Biology, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Prof. Aderonke Lawal-Are, has said the nation is under threat of food insecurity and requires the urgent attention of the government and stakeholders to address the crisis.

Prof. Lawal-Are dropped the bombshell while delivering the 17th Inaugural Lecture for the 2023/2024 year, titled: “The Carcinologist Expedition: Decoding the Mysteries of Coastal Explorers”

She also revealed that adults, who have been warned against eating red meat as a source of protein can, consume Crabs on a daily basis.

The lecturer attracted Bishop Babajide Taiwo of Methodist Church of Nigeria, Olori Tobi Phillips-Ogunwusi, former UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Provost, Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology (FCFMT), Dr. Paul Onuoha, executives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UNILAG branch, her family members as well as classmates while the acting UNILAG VC, Prof. Lucian Chukwu lead the management team.

She added: “Government should help boost food production in the country by increase in funding of the agriculture. Government is only focusing on plants and lives stocks. We are under threat of food security.”

“To improve

The don also urged the government to encourage the production of fisheries, adding, “in Niger Delta, people don’t go fishing again because of the militants. We have fewer trawlers going into Niger Delta waters.”

According to her, the economy and potentials of the nation’s various oceans remains untapped, noting, “few students are applying for admission in Fisheries because they don’t know about the potentials.”          

The university don described Crabs as the cheapest of the shellfish resources and a major source of nutritious food and should be eaten by all every other day to increase “our protein level and especially for adults who are not permitted to eat so much red meat.”

She advised that government, in consultation with researchers, fisherfolks, stakeholders and artisan involved in crabs capture should make policies on the licencing of boats, mesh size regulations and trap setting Crabs on the Lagos lagoon complex as the Crabs can be subjected to the same management and conservation practices.

The professor of fisheries also tasked government to ensure the enforcement of regulations concerning water quality measures, underwater grass restoration, improvement of awareness and capacities of local communities; and developing a co-management model to protect and harvest local natural resources sustainably.

Lawal-Are called on the Government to adopt a closed season in the dry months of December to April when fecund females are migrating back to areas of high salinity and releasing larvae to allow them grow and development adequately.

“Protecting these crabs particularly females and their eggs, remains an important part of crab conservation efforts,” she stated.

She further advocated for huge funding from government, institutions, and funding agencies for the culture of Lagoon Crabs in Nigeria, which is capital intensive primarily because for a complete cycle of Crab production, there must be simulation of two environments (sea and estuary).

The professor of fisheries and Biology explained that the purchase of the necessary equipment for these purposes is huge and the manpower.

“There should be a paradigm shift in policy governing the activities of the Centre for General Studies through increased funding, review of the curricular provisions of the courses in line with current Natioanl Universities Commission proposal and the deployment of online examinations in alignment with the future ready agenda of the VC, Lawal-Are proposed.

The acting VC, Prof. Chukwu said Lawal-Are has over 100 puyblications in local and International journals, three grants, produced 175 graduates, 75 MSc and nine PhDs.

Chukwu told the gathering that Lawal-Are joined ther services of UNILAG in 1998 and became a professor in 2015 and has held various positions in the institution.

He said: “Prof. Aderonke Lawal-Are has succesfully paid her academic debt to UNILAG. On behalf of the Senate, she is hereby discharged and acquitted. Welcome to the commity of professors that have paid their dues.’’