Sola Adeyemo 
A professor of Analytical/Environmental Chemistry at the University of Ibadan, Professor Bamidele Iromidayo Olu-Owolabi, has charged all Nigerians to be involved in improving the quality of the environment.
She gave this charge while delivering the 575th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Science held at the Trenchard Hall of the premier Institution.
Professor Olu-Owolabi said the pollution of our environment is the bane of our society and one of the biggest problems facing our world, adding that her research showed that as a result of poor compliance with enforcement and monitoring, both domestic and untreated industrial effluents are discharged directly or indirectly into city canals, thus rendering their vegetation unsuitable for human consumption.
She, however, noted that as long as human beings keep polluting the environment, efforts to remove will continue because new classes of pollutants will keep on emerging.
She, therefore, charged that we should all stop complaining about our environment but begin to do things to make our environment a safer place.
Professor Olu-Owolabi recommended that Nigerians should embrace Eco-Friendly choices; promote recycling at the household level; sort and manage waste effectively; and drive community awareness.
According to her, above all, “law enforcement agencies, especially the Ministry of Environment, should enforce environmental laws”.
The inaugural lecture entitled: “Towards A Safer Environment: The Voyage of A Chemist” was the twenty-fifth in the series for the 2023/2024 academic session.
