Plastic pollution and oil spills are destroying the environment – Prof. Dauda

Prof. Benjamin Dauda, a university dean, has issued a warning about the harmful consequences of plastic waste and oil spills on Nigeria’s ecology.

At the Federal University Lokoja (FUL)’s 15th Inaugural Lecture, which was held on Thursday in the Andakolo Auditorium in Lokoja, Dauda, the faculty’s dean of sciences and head of the department (HOD), Department of Industrial Chemistry, issued the warning.

No doubt the oil business provides 95% of Nigeria’s foreign cash and 80% of its budgetary revenue, but the destructive impacts of oil spills necessitate immediate steps by the government, according to the speaker of his presentation, “Polymer: Material Driving Technological Advancement.”

He revealed that there were 16,476 spills, totaling three million barrels, which endangered both human and marine life.

“Oil spills caused by crude oil theft, illegal refining, sabotage of oil facilities, and pipeline erosion consequently harm farmland and aquatic life.

“There’s the loss of revenue, increased cost of spill cleanup, and human health challenges like still births, miscarriages, skin diseases, etc.,” he said.

When it comes to control measures, Dauda suggested organisations to use cotton as a better oil sorbent by making it more hydrophobic for oil spill clean up in marine water.

Because of their hydrophobicity and oleophilicity, he added, “These novel sorbent coated pads have the advantages of high uptake capacity (85 – 95%).”

The instructor also issued a warning against the careless disposal of plastic waste into the environment, which has its own negative impacts on both humans and animals.

He claimed that despite its negative impacts, people use an astounding one million plastic bottles per minute.

“A major drawback in the use of composite (Polymer) is their high susceptibility to delamination and other catastrophic failures due to flaws in the structure,” he continued.

“For the sake of economic and social advancement, government funding of university research is necessary. We have the expertise and the ability to collaborate with peers in different sectors to give solutions.

“Companies should work with universities to help solve processing issues and enhance the quality of their products.”

The don also mandated that Nigerian businesses making polymer for the international market have their own Research and Development (R &D) departments where they may “employ researchers who conduct research that will help improve processing and quality of products.”

The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of FUL, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, previously remarked that the significance of materials science and its influence on technological growth cannot be emphasised in our ever-evolving world.

He pointed out that Dauda’s in-depth expertise, devotion, and ground-breaking work in the area of polymer chemistry and technology have not only made a great impact on the academic community but have also been crucial in reshaping the technical landscape of our civilization.