A specialist in Cropping Systems from the College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT) of the University, Professor Philip Adetiloye, has faulted the widely-held opinion that green house emissions are responsible for climate change. The Don made this declaration during the 45th Inaugural Lecture of the University, titled From Grass to Grace: An Exposition on Western and Traditional Cropping Systems.
According to Professor Adetiloye, research findings had confirmed that climate change was caused by aerial bombing wars and not by green house emissions that western scientists had claimed to be the cause of climate change and that the analysis of climate data over the various latitudes in Nigeria had indicated that climate change became noticeable from the 1990s.
“The large variation continued to date. This sudden change in climate exhibits a distinct pattern and was more in the Northern States of Nigeria than in the Southern region. Temperature rise of 9 and 5 degree centigrade had been recorded in the North and South of Nigeria respectively, due to climate change. In Southern Nigeria, the pattern of variations appeared more diffuse. These two major findings confirm my earlier press conferences (2011 and 2014) that climate change is caused by aerial bombing war zones in the Middle East as Africans suffer the effects of this climate change more than any continent”, he stated.
Professor Adetiloye disclosed that agricultural research started from the colonial days by focusing on the Western mode of cropping systems, which was highly dependent on input of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides in mono-cultural cropping. “It was not until the early 70s that significant research efforts were directed by scientists towards understanding why African farmers prefer complex, multiple cropping system to the relatively simple sole cropping method, that is commonly practiced in Western and highly industrialised countries”, he stated.
He enumerated the importance of agro-climatology, the role of crop physiology and goals of Cropping System to include improved productivity in terms of crop yield and income, achievement of sustainable yield and sustainable land use, increased yield stability with hazards of drought and equitable use of resources all year round.
He noted that agriculture; a multi-disciplinary science required a thorough understanding of various science disciplines that were required for a proper understanding of the performance, growth, development and productivity of crops and livestock. The Inaugural Lecturer observed that despite the huge resources committed to agriculture over the years, nothing much had been realized because “the approach of government to agricultural development has not been quite right” as he made far-reaching recommendations that would propel agricultural development through adequate and well-coordinated funding and making proper use of innovations and inventions from University researches, to fast-track industrialisation processes that would in turn encourage foreign investment in the country. Prof. Adetiloye, assured that if the extension service was well managed, enormous research innovations emanating from Universities would be better harnessed, rather than making such breakthroughs to rot away on the book shelves.
The 45th Inaugural Lecturer joined the services of FUNAAB as a Senior Lecturer in 1990. He became the pioneer Head, Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Ecology, now the Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Production, from 1995 to 2001 and rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Cropping System in 2005.
Speaking at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB and President, Association of African Universities (AAU), Professor Olusola Oyewole, said the 45th Inaugural Lecture was the first from the Department of Plant Physiology and Crop Production, eight from the College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT) and the ninth that he would preside over as the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB.
Professor Oyewole stated that the lecture was coming up just after clocking two years as Vice-Chancellor, saying that it was an opportunity for him to take a retrospective look at the journey in the past two years because “the Almighty God has been our help. This will be our first time of having the Inaugural Lecture in this newly-completed 2,500-capacity auditorium tagged ‘University Ceremonial Auditorium’. Beyond the physical, I believe that this time is a divine turning point for this administration”. He described Professor Adetiloye as a very sound academic and seasoned scholar, who had contributed immensely to the development of the University.