Egg Heads from the World of Sciences From Within And Outside Bayelsa State Converged on The Niger Delta University, NDUÂ Amassoma To Chart A New Course for Research Projects That Would Be Economically Beneficial to The Researcher, The Ivory Tower and Ultimately the Society.
The event was the second Biennial International Conference of the Faculty of Science, NDU in Amassoma.
The Science Tink Tanks sued for a paradigm shift from the regular research writing which findings only adorn shelves to problem solving research drawing from the avalanche of needs in one’s physical environment. The Conference has as it’s theme: Scientific Research Beyond the Classroom and Laboratory; Key to Personal Development and Societal Relevance.
Delivering a paper on the Sub-theme ” Science: A Tool for Industrialization, the Executive Secretary of the State Education Development Trust Fund EDTF, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu said entrepreneurial development, Science and Technology discovery remain key drivers of industrialization. Prof. Etebu maintained that the level of advancement of any society is proportional to its application of science and technology, stating that Nigeria has all it takes to leap out of underdevelopment. He chronicled the industrialization efforts of Nigeria from Pre- Independence to date, stating that the “Nigeria First” policy was one that could put a stop to importation of all goods and services that Nigerians could produce if properly harnessed. The EDTF Executive Secretary urged researchers to take a deeper look into society and come up with projects that would address such challenges saying that it is the way to financial prosperity for individuals and institutions. He noted that keen observation on experiments are virtues for a researcher as it could lead to other discoveries, citing the example of the discovery of Penicillin by Alexander Fleming, produced by a fungus, Penicillium notatum, in 1928. According to the Agricultural and Molecular Microbiology Professor, that discovery was the foundation of the production of numerous antibiotics we use today, all over the world including immunology (antigen-antibody interaction) which is the basis for vaccination and immunization against diseases as product of thorough scientific researches.
His words “One of my PhD students, she looked at, this your ogbono, the parts that we throw away after eating the fruit. You know we eat and dry the seed which we take out to cook ogbono soup. We thought that, oh, what if we now make it as part of the main meals in poultry feeds? And we did that. And surprisingly, that ogbono called “Irvingia gabonensis” in the scientific world, we realized that the birds that we fed with the ogbono waste alongside the normal feed had less cholesterol. And cholesterol is one of the markers for heart diseases. Now, we don’t know if the same thing will apply to human beings, because our goal then was not about heart issues. It was about how we could reduce the cost of poultry feed if we can augment with these agricultural waste. The academia can begin to think, to provide solutions to these and others in our society. And I think we are getting there gradually”.
Prof. Etebu said the EDTF has resolved to only support studies with verifiable commercial viability going forward. He lauded Governor Douye Diri for all the support to the Fund and for establishing Technical Colleges across the State to drive industrialization.
Speaking earlier as Chairman of the Occasion, the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Simon-Peter Okene appreciated the University for the conference and for drawing attention to problem solving research. Dr. Emelah said the university has demonstrated that it is practical oriented especially with courses indigenous to the Niger Delta region and assured of the Ministry’s continued support. Speaking at the sidelines on the adequacy of science teachers in public schools in the State, the Education Commissioner said the ministry is evaluating the impact of the recent recruitment. Dr. Emelah said the impact of the newly employed science teachers could only be verified after about a year of their engagement. “We are monitoring their activities and we can only make a categorical statement after evaluating the impact within a year or so, after their engagement”, he added.
The lead speaker, Prof. Charles Adetunji who said research must be a way of life and commercially driven, advocated proper funding from relevant governments.
According to Prof. Adetunji, Universities abroad thrive from funds gotten from research, establish industries and even lend to governments. He urged scientists and researchers to identify challenges in the State and seek solutions noting that the State stands to gain more if researchers change their orientation.
On his part, the Vice Chancellor of NDU, Prof. Allen Agih said the university has a Committee in place to identify commercially viable projects and to seek partnerships for patent rights. He also spoke on plans to establish a STEM Centre to address the gap from school leavers with foundational problems in sciences. The VC said as a university that absorbs the young school leavers, it’s been observed that there is an foundational problems with learning the sciences both at Primary and Secondary levels.
” To address this gap, we are proposing to partner with government to establish a STEM Centre where we can engage these young students at the Primary and Secondary levels so when they enter the university, they can do well. You see students with brilliant certificates, good grades in the science subjects, but when we engage them, some can’t measure up. This is a challenge and we need to look for ways to overcome it, hence the University’s resolve to establish the STEM Centre in the State.
Also at the event, the Commissioner of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Faith Zib-Godwin made a presentation on the vast potentials in the sector and sought ways of advancing the fortune of the State through research.
The Conference saw the presentation of Service Award to nineteen persons amongst whom are the Speaker of the State House Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, Secretary to State Government, Prof. Nimbofa Ayaowei, Senator Kombowei Benson, Commissioner of Education, Dr. Gentle Emelah, EDTF Executive Secretary, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu Chief Robert Enogha and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Allen Agih.