Expert Urges partnerships In Transformation Of UNILAG’s Biological Garden As Botany Dept. Celebrates 60th Anniversary

Dr Oluwarotimi Fashola, Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos on Agriculture and Food Systems, Ministry of Agriculture, has called for the establishment of a robust public-private partnership that would transform the University of Lagos Biological Garden, into a reference for excellence.

According to him, such partnership should involve NGOs, companies, government agencies, and community stakeholders.

He added that such botanical garden would be a place not only for research purposes, but also for recreation, for learning and healing.

Fashola made the call while presenting a keynote address at the 60th anniversary of the Department of Botany, in the Faculty of Life Sciences of UNILAG on Thursday.

The theme of the anniversary is: Botany@60; The Impact, Challenge and Future.

He noted that in a city like Lagos, where millions were in constant search of calm amidst the hustling and bustling, such green spaces were not luxuries, but rather, necessities.

“This garden should be more than just a green space. It must be a national treasure and a global opportunity, but it cannot reach its full potential without deliberate investment,” he said.

Speaking further on his presentation with the theme: Botany; The Cradle of Crop Production – Opportunities and Challenges (A Case Study of the Rice Value Chain), he noted that without botany, there is no crop production, no biodiversity management, and certainly no food security.

According to him, Botany teaches humans how to understand the life of plants, how they grow, reproduce, adapt, and support the entire ecosystems.

Today’s conversation is not only timely but also vital. The topic, “Botany: The Cradle of Crop Production – Opportunities and Challenges, goes beyond the academic and beyond the scientific.

“It cuts right to the heart of human existence, national development, and global sustainability.

“Botany is far more than the scientific study of plants. It is the foundation upon which agriculture, medicine, biotechnology, climate resilience, and even our food systems are built.

“It is not just an academic discipline; it is, quite literally, the root of life.

“Botany is not static. It is a dynamic field that touches every sector of society. Consider the fact that over two per cent of the GDP of the Netherlands is tied to botany related activities such as floriculture, vegetable and fruit farming, greenhouse innovations, and agri-tech.

“In India, centuries of deep botanical knowledge have led to global breakthroughs in plant-based medicine and wellness.

“Nigeria today, stands at the crossroads. We can either embrace the potential that botany offers, or remain tethered to outdated systems that limit our growth,” he said.

Fashola explained that crop production does not occur in isolation, adding that It was part of an intricate web of ecological interactions, plants, soil, water, insects, climate and human activities.

The governor’s aide noted that Botany equipped humans with the knowledge to manage this delicate balance and helped to understand how changes in one part of the ecosystem , like soil degradation or loss of pollinators due to air pollution, could dramatically affect food supply.

According to him, with climate change now an undeniable reality, the knowledge of botany is more urgent than ever.

“We must design food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and adaptive.
The science of plants is central to this effort.

“Let me bring this home with a practical example on rice.
Rice is not merely a dietary staple in Nigeria, it is a strategic commodity, an economic force, and a barometer of national stability.

“Nigeria ranks as the largest consumer of rice in Africa, with consumption levels exceeding 7 million metric tonnes annually.

“Yet despite our vast arable land, favourable agroecological zones, and growing local capacity, we are still falling short in our paddy production and the gap between supply and demand is getting wider. This is both a challenge and an opportunity “ he said.

The special assistant then commended the university for maintaining its biological garden and called for more efforts on its sustainability.

He noted that Lagos State was fully committed to supporting research, innovation, and technological deployment in this space.

“But we cannot do it alone. We need the expertise of institutions like the University of Lagos,” he stated.

On his part, Oluwayoyin Ogundipe, a professor of Botany and the immediate past Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, said botany was one of the first set of programmes that was introduced and still running in the institution.

According to him, the department has impacted the university positively, as it has been able to attract research grants.

“There was a time that this department attracted the highest amount of research grants, through my humble self.

“And in terms of teaching, we have been able to teach and graduate a large number of students and some are here to celebrate with us today.

“We also have distinguished professors here, vice chancellors and professors that graduated from this same department.

“However, one key challenge we have in the department and by extension the university, is that of funding.

“Again, we are faced with the need to recruit the young ones, especially as we have a Centre of Excellence and are in need of lecturers, researchers, who will be able to handle the centre optimally and be able to run their research in the area of biodiversity, conservation and other related areas,” Prof. Ogundipe said.

Also speaking, Distinguished professor Dele Olowokudejo, Chairman of the occasion, said Botany remained central to food systems worldwide, just as it was a veritable source of drugs for health.

He added that there was the need to explore and exploit plants for the benefits of mankind.

“I lectured here for about 40 years before I retired in 2021. My expectation is for us to continually put our knowledge into practical use, for the benefit of mankind.

Ganiyu Oyetibo, a professor of Microbiology and Dean Faculty of Life Sciences, described the long existence of the department as eventful, interms of manpower development.

“It is eventful in the sense that the department has gone through the system and a lot of the people that have passed through here, are now critical stakeholders in the society, making great impact as regards development of the country and are doing well for themselves, their communities and society.

“So, it has been an eventful 60 years of career development, for the betterment of mankind.

Going forward, the story has always been the narrative of ‘good old days of the past’.

“We cannot continue talking about the good old days; I think it is highly necessary and imperative to start talking about the good days ahead of us.

“For us to do that basically, we have to be determined and particular about it, and ofcourse, this has to do with a lot of funding.

“We must invest hugely into research particularly, because it is through research that we can make the much desired change in the society, and hence, change the narrative,” he stated.

He explained that the development called for critical reasoning and a call for all stakeholders to give back, especially those that passed through the system.

“It is time for those that have seen the better days of yesterday, to begin to give back to the society, by looking back and revive those old culture, taking ownership of the institution, so that we build a country that we all have desired,” the Dean stated.

In her brief remark, Prof. Said Mabadeje, a retired professor of Botany of the institution, encouraged botanist to continue with their mandate of impacting knowledge and contribution to nation building.

According to her, they should see themselves as critical stakeholders of the Centre of excellence, by coming up with solutions to the many challenges facing the country.

“As botanists, I urge you all not to relent, but continue doing what you know best, to be centre of good things, in decades to come,” she stated.