From Kayode Olabanji, Okitipupa

Renowned botanist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Prof. David Olaniran Aworinde, has made a passionate appeal to the Federal Government to fund research institutions and enact laws ensuring the sustainable use and conservation of Nigeria’s plants and trees.

Prof. Aworinde stressed the essential role of plants during OAUSTECH’s 5th Inaugural Lecture, titled “Internal and External Signature: Requirements for Ordering and Reordering in the Plant Kingdom,” held yesterday in Okitipupa.

He highlighted the critical role plants play in providing food, clothing, shelter, medicine, furniture, adornment, and oxygen, emphasising the urgent need for collective efforts to preserve Nigeria’s diverse plant life.

The professor underscored the necessity for concerted global efforts to reciprocate the invaluable benefits plants bestow upon humanity, stressing the importance of judicious utilisation, harvesting, and conservation without abuse, mutilation, or aggression.

He argued that the reckless felling of entire trees or plants for a few leaves reflects a lack of appreciation for the divine endowment of these indispensable botanical entities, insisting such unsustainable practices not only disrespect the sanctity of plants but also threaten their existence and reproductive capabilities.

Furthermore, Prof. Aworinde highlighted the spiritual essence of plants, suggesting that unsustainable harvesting could provoke adverse reactions from the spiritual essence of plants. He called for the enlightenment and guidance of plant collectors and users, including traditional medical practitioners, herbalists, hunters, herb vendors, traditional midwives, and individual consumers, on the importance of sustainable harvesting methods.

Focusing on plant morphology, anatomy, taxonomy, ethnomedicine, and conservation, the professor emphasised the importance of maintaining order within the plant kingdom.

He advocated a multidisciplinary approach, integrating morphology, genetics, ecology, and environmental science to ensure accurate classification and reordering of plant species. By elucidating the medicinal attributes of various plants through their distinctive features or “signatures,” Prof. Aworinde explained the conscious design of these botanical entities by a higher power.

He cited examples such as the resemblance of a carrot’s cross-section to the human eye, the brain-like appearance of a walnut, and the fetal position of an avocado seed, all indicative of their therapeutic potential for human well-being.

In addition to fulfilling basic human needs, plants serve as vital sources of human and veterinary medicines, cosmetics, construction materials, ceremonial items, and raw materials for various industries. The professor outlined different categories of plants essential for human welfare and environmental sustainability, including food plants, medicinal herbs, fibre plants, spices, beverages, dye plants, construction materials, insecticidal plants, industrial commodities, and soil-enriching plants.

Prof. Aworinde, therefore, urged the federal government to allocate adequate funding to research institutions dedicated to botanical studies in Nigeria, stressing that research plays a pivotal role in discovering new knowledge crucial for national development.

In his closing remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of OAUSTECH, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, commended the inaugural lecturer for his scholarly achievements in botany, particularly in plant anatomy and taxonomy. He highlighted the lecturer’s efforts in unveiling the practical values of plants as sources of sustenance, income, and healing for various ailments.

The Vice-Chancellor appealed to the Nigerian government to implement policies safeguarding and preserving endangered plant species across the nation for the collective benefit of humanity.