By Ademola Adegbite
The Dean, Faculty of Engineering, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Dr Adewuyi Oke, has called for a shift in the approach to Environmental Impact Assessment, saying it must serve as a practical tool for driving sustainable development rather than merely a regulatory requirement.
Oke made this call while delivering the institution’s 14th Inaugural Lecture titled, “Materials and Environment: Safer Communities From Environmental Engineering Perspective,” held at the North Campus Assembly Hall of the institution on Saturday.
The lecturer said Nigeria’s rapid urbanisation and industrial development must be accompanied by effective environmental safeguards to protect public health, ecological balance and community wellbeing.
According to him, “EIA should be used to anticipate the environmental consequences of development projects, identify potential risks and design appropriate mitigation measures before projects are executed.
“The effectiveness of environmental regulations depended not only on the existence of laws but also on proper monitoring, compliance and enforcement.
“We have environmental laws and regulations, including Environmental Impact Assessment requirements, but the question is: how effectively are these laws being monitored and enforced?
“That is where we need to do more. Having laws in place is not enough; there must be effective monitoring, compliance and enforcement to ensure that environmental standards are upheld,” he said.
Oke cited cases involving oil spillage remediation at the NNPC Depot, noise pollution at Bodija Market, Tin Can Island Port and the Lagos-Ibadan Railway to illustrate the environmental consequences that could arise when development activities were not adequately assessed and managed.
He urged government agencies to conduct periodic environmental audits and establish transparent reporting mechanisms to improve accountability and ensure compliance with environmental standards.
The don also advocated the deployment of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, Internet of Things and real-time data analytics, to strengthen environmental assessment and monitoring.
He said the technologies could improve the accuracy of environmental assessments, facilitate early detection of risks and enable regulators to respond more effectively to emerging environmental challenges.
Oke further called for greater community participation in EIA processes, stressing that residents should be adequately informed and involved in decisions concerning developments that could affect their health and environment.
He identified noise pollution, contaminated water and indiscriminate tree felling among environmental concerns requiring greater public awareness and intervention.
The scholar stressed the importance of protecting trees, noting that they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Council of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Prof Lanre Nassar, called for stronger collaboration between academia and industry to ensure that research findings and innovations were translated into practical solutions to Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
Nassar, a former Rector of the institution and former Vice-Chancellor of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, said, “Academic institutions should ensure that their research and curricula respond to the needs of society.”
He, therefore, charged industries and companies to participate in inaugural lectures and engage with researchers to access ideas and innovations capable of addressing organisational and national challenges.
Also speaking, the Rector of the institution, Dr Taiwo Lasisi, said, “Inaugural lectures provided opportunities for scholars to demonstrate the practical relevance of their academic and research work.
“Research remains the foundation of many technological advancements, including artificial intelligence and renewable energy,” urging society to make greater use of research outcomes from academic institutions.
He therefore urged students and younger scholars to pursue research capable of contributing meaningfully to society.
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