As 2022 Science Prize Winners Showcase Research Work/Findings

Mr. Andy Odeh, GM, External Relations and Sustainable development, NLNG addressing participants at the forum

The Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, LCCI and the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG , Ltd, Wednesday held an interactive business forum to engage with the faces and works that won the NLNG prize for science prize in 2022 and further explore impact of the winning entries on society.

Dignitaries at the Forum

Welcoming guests, Mr. Andy Odeh, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said the Science Prize is growing and receiving attention across frontiers while noting that the focus on food security was in alignment with Goal 2 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which seeks sustainable solutions to end hunger by 2030 and achieve food security for all.

The NLNG image helmsman expressed the view that to end hunger, improving the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers by promoting equal access to land, technology, markets, resilient agricultural practices, and sustainable food production systems.

In Odeh words “As a forward-looking and modern organization, we run with the very best global practices, Nigeria LNG is focused on making every one of these innovations count. It has recognized that it is not enough to have innovations without them impacting society. Being a company committed to building a better Nigeria, NLNG is seeking ways to ensure that these improvements bring about positive developmental changes in the country.”

“Prior to the Launch of the NLNG Prize for Science in 2004, our scientists and researchers were forgotten, demotivated, uncelebrated and relegated to the background. The Prize has brought them back to the limelight to drive the wheel of progress for our society and national life”

“Apart from benefit to researchers from the prize, we are look forward to the change (s) in society from the application/recommendations from winning entries. Society must be the greatest winner at all times. But this can only happen when every discovery is applied to solving the challenges that confront society”

“We are confident that the wealth of experience of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a foremost jewel of our country’s organized private sector and the skill and knowledge of its members would be the catalyst for the wonderful research findings of the 2022 cycle of the Nigeria Prize for Science”.

“Nigeria LNG will continue to partner with the business community, the academia and its host communities towards encouraging research and ensuring that the findings contribute to building a better Nigeria,” Mr. Odeh said

Chairman of the  Advisory Board, NLNG prize for science, Prof Barth Nnaji said he is particularly elted by the outcomes of the 2022 prize for science from tow perspectives-Machinery and the opportunity to mass produce food for society.

“The advisory board is particularly pleased that in evaluating the entries, the judges upheld the objectives of the prize which seeks to identify and promote excellence in utilizing scientific knowledge for the achievement of desired solutions”

“All we seek now is for the country to know that these two aspects are real outcomes from the 2022 Prize for Science and work towards escalating the multiplier effects from the discoveries” Prof Barth Nnaji who was represented by Chief Dr. Nike Akande, a two-time minister and former President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

On his part,  the president, LCCI, Asiwaju Dr. Michael Olawale-Cole, who was represented by the Deputy President of LCCi, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, stated that there is no better time to gather over a topic on food security as the threat of destructive flooding and droughts adversely affect nations of the world due to the effects of climate change.

He added that this is also coming at a time when Nigeria is grappling with a surging food inflation at 23.75 per cent which has been the main driver of Nigeria’s high headline inflation at 21.34 per cent.

“It is worthy of note that Nigerians on the average spend more than 50 per cent of their incomes on food alone while they also face high cost of energy”.

R/L: Professor Sesan Peter Ayodeji and Dr. Emmanuel Olatunji Olatomilola making their presentation at the NLNG forum on food security

“We need scientific exploits in the field of agriculture to beat the emerging effects of climate change. The awardees we celebrate today have distinguished themselves with a show of unrivaled intellectual capacity that has led to innovative discoveries in agriculture and food security. In the face of threatening weather conditions, we need new methods, tools, and infrastructure to cope with emerging challenges in agriculture” the LCCI President said.

Presentations were made by winners of the 2022 Prize for Science, Professor Sesan Peter Ayodeji,  a professor of Machine and Process Design and Applied Ergonomics at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, and his colleague, Emmanuel Olatunji Olatomilola and the co winners Muhyideen Oyekunle, a Maize Breeder and Lecturer at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and his colleague, Prof Shehu Garki Ado, an agricultural expert.

While Prof Sesan Peter Ayodeji and Emmanuel Olatunji Olatomilola’s presentation was on their winning work on “Development of Process Plant for Plantain Flour”,  Prof Shehu Garki Ado and  Muhyideen Oyekunle spoke on the findings from their winning entry “Gains in Grain Yield of Released Maize (Zea Mays L.) Cultivars under Drought and Well Watered Conditions”

The unripe plantain processing plant

From their respective presentations, it was glaring that there is a wide gulf between the Academia and industry players/investors.

Dr. Muhydideen Oyekunle and Professor Shehu Ado making their presentation

Bridging the gap between Gown and Town is a challenge which the NLNG Prize for Science seeks to make easier for scientists and researchers to navigate for the benefit of citizens but there is an urgent need for more attention in this area by government and stakeholders to ensure food security and make life better for all.