By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin
Federal government has been urged to establish major and well equipped research laboratories with state -of-the-heart facilities in different geopolitical zones of the country to ease the challenges being faced by researchers to diligently do their work.
A university Don, Professor Hussein Kehinde Okoro of Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Ilorin, made the request among others,in the 292nd Inaugural lecture of the university titled,”Leveraging The Expertise of Chemists in environmental Management:A Focus on Analytical, Environmental and Material Fields.”he delivered recently.
According to him while delivering the well attended lecture inside the university main auditorium,”The Federal government should establish major and well equipped research laboratories with state -of-the-heart facilities in different geopolitical zones.
”This will ease the problems and challenges being faced by researchers when they need to analyse their samples.Majority of our doctoral students who are in the area of Analytical- Environmental Chemistry find it difficult to recognise not to talk of operating analytical instruments because these are not provided.
“They rather send samples abroad for analysis after their sample preparations.This is a big problem our stakeholders need to handle and address urgently to prevent the crash of our education system.”
Okoro also called on the federal government,”to make laws flexible to allow researchers to place order for chemicals they needed for their research and charge relevant organisations such as the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Institute of Chartered Chemist of Nigeria, Chemical Society of Nigeria to champion this course.”
He further tasked the federal and state governments to make bursary and scholarships available to post graduate students because they are the heartbeat of any university in terms of research outputs and to reduce the japa syndrome.
Similarly, the university don urged the universities management to,”support the graduate and undergraduate students through the provision of University Research Fund as it applies in other climes such as South Africa,India and other European countries.”
He also said that the federal government should,”put in place legislation banning the importation and use of Ships coated with antifouling agent in our marine ecosystems.”stressing that,”if this law is put in place, the level of organising pollution will be minimised.”
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