The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has expressed readiness to collaborate with Lagos State government to upscale the quality and quantity of ‘Eko Rice’ and contribute to the state’s drive to boost rice production with its scientific innovations.
Ganiyu Oyetibo, dean of faculty of Life Sciences at UNILAG made this known during his remark at the institution’s Botany@ 60 years anniversary organised by the Department of Botany of the university.
Oyetibo in his remark, appealed to the state government to assist the university with more lands, which he said would help facilitate the accreditation of the university’s Agriculture Department by the National Universities Commission’s (NUC).
Besides, he emphasised that the land when given, will enhance the students hand-on-skill trainings, and research, stressing that the Botany Department with its innovative strides will contribute to the upscaling Eko Rice, and strengthen food security in the state.
Oluwarotimi Fashola, the special adviser to the Lagos State governor on agriculture and food systems, speaking on botany as the cradle of food production, said Nigeria must design food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and adaptive.
Read also: Unilag partners ICLED to equip students with future work skills
And to achieve this he said the country must embrace the science of plant, emphasizing that rice is not merely a dietary staple in Nigeria, but a strategic commodity, an economic force, and a barometer of national stability.
He explained that Nigeria ranks as the largest consumer of rice in Africa, with consumption levels exceeding seven million metric tons annually, yet, despite its vast arable land, favourable agroecological zones, and green local capacity, the country is still falling short in its production, and the gap between supply and demand is getting wider.
“This is both a challenge and an opportunity. When the price of rice increases due to shortfall in production as a result of many factors, it triggers a chain reaction. Food inflation increases, eroding household purchasing power.
“This drives up general inflation, affecting every aspect of our lives, that’s the economic weight of rice. If a single species, has the capacity to affect the agroeconomic indicators of a nation, and the livelihood of millions,” he queried.
Furthermore, he explained that in Lagos, the statistics are not less striking, as the state consumes over 20 million bags of 50kg rice annually.
He said that millions of naira would be retained within the domestic economy, if every one of those bags were grown, milled, packaged, and distributed locally.
“Millions of direct and indirect jobs would be created, and it’ll reduce dependency on food imports, and enhance food security, particularly for an urban poor,” he noted.
Fashiola disclosed that under the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state has taken bold, systematic steps to localise rice production across the value chain.
“Over 1,500 hectares of rice farmland have been established, where rice farming is being revitalised through fertilisation and irrigation infrastructures.
“The state has commissioned the largest rice field in Imota, the largest in Nigeria, and indeed the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, with a processing capacity of over 2.5 million bags of head rice per year. This is a functional, scalable, and future-oriented,” he emphasised.
He reiterated that when science is aligned with a policy, investment, and political will, it will achieve a lot, especially for young people.
“It offers a future that is not only green, but profitable and open-spirited. With emerging fields like aerobiology, paleontology, plant-based bioplastic, plant-based nanobiotics, and plant-based pharmaceuticals.
“These are multi-billion dollar industries of the future, and Nigeria must not be left behind,” he said.
Dele Olowokudejo, a retired university don, called on the government to assist the Botany Department, and Life Sciences faculty with fundings because there are insufficient financial support for partner programmes. Besides, he said the department lacks infrastructure such as standard laboratories, and research facilities, among others.
“We need a standard botanic garden, the imperium here has a very small capacity for learning opportunities.
“Moreover, we’re having insufficient practical training no hands-on experience for our students in botanical research and fieldwork,” he said.
