UNILORIN Don urges FG to declare state of emergency on engineering research

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

The federal government of Nigeria has been called upon to declare a state of emergency on engineering research and development in the country, while also tasking some faculties of engineering with some specific products over a given period of time, say five years, adding that these should be well funded.

Prof. Isaac Kayode Adegun, a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ilorin, made the call over the weekend while delivering the institution’s 193rd Inaugural Lecture, titled, “God the Creator, man the manipulator: The journey so far in engineering manipulation of fluids and geometries for human life.”

He said: “Since there is no gain without pain, as the federal government did for rice by stopping its importation into the country, federal government of Nigeria should also identify some engineering products being produced locally whose importation should be summarily stopped.

“For example, importation of tiles, upholsteries, and even some vehicular component parts should stop. We must be compelled to patronise the local engineering products.

“God has already helped Nigeria, crude oil which gives about 90 percent of our foreign exchange is a fluid; it should therefore be judiciously manipulated for the development of our nation. Enough of the negative manipulation of our resources; let all of us be patriotic Nigerians.

“The developed nations are utilising renewable energy sources to generate electricity, therefore, Nigeria too should take a from this.”

The inaugural lecturer revealed the danger inherent in over slimming of the body and also in tummy protrusion beyond a certain limit, admonishing that the ratio of tummy size to chest width should be between 0.4 and 0.7 to ensure thermal comfort, effective performance at work, long life, and good health, adding that “we should be mindful of what we eat, drink, and what we do that can unduly and unnecessarily protrude the tummy.”

He said: “We should be measuring our tummy-chest ratio regularly, and see the medical practitioners especially those in human kinetics for appropriate counselling, particularly when the ratio tummy-chest is 0.5.”

Prof. Adegun, who counselled Nigerians not to be polluting the fluid around them, saying the fluid can be manipulated to enhance its productivity if well treated, urged the University of Ilorin to establish a Centre for Advance Modelling and Simulation for Systems’ analyses.
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