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Nigeria: 'Controversy's Healthy for Technology Growth, Devt'
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This Day (Lagos)
11 March 2008
Posted to the web 12 March 2008
Oluwatimilehin Oyekanmi
Lagos
Raging controversies normally generated due to claims on discoveries and researches by Nigerian scientists have been described as a healthy occurrence that could bring about growth in the fields of science and technology, and consequently rapid development in the nation.
Above assertions were made by Professor Oyewale Tomori of the Redeemers University at a recent roundtable organised for journalists by the Nigerian Academy of Science at Yaba, Lagos.
Tomori, who was contributing after a paper presentation by Professor Lateef Salako also declared that the irony of climate change is that the people will suffer, and the ozone layer, global warming will affect the people as those in the Artic region will be affected seriously.
On the cause of climate change which is one of current issues being addressed by the Academy, Tomori said industries are the ones creating the climate-related problems. "Rain doesn't fall as at when due again nowadays, the Lake Chad has now turned to desert unlike when it has a lot of thing that interest the eyes".
He said, "desert encroachment, respiratory infections are also there as challenges that will normally generate controversies among members of the Academy whenever there are researches and claims on these issues. So climate change is definitely due to human handiwork. What affects one side is also affecting us".
"The environment is now getting hotter than it should be; all changes in the climate are affecting us. There is need for proper research and information to the people through the media, so that we can know how much we are affected. Despite that, claims on this will also bring about controversies as there would be claims and counter claims from members of the Academy", he stated.
Furthermore on global warming, Tomori said experts should be invited now, not until when damage is done and the controversies generated so high.
On environmental pollution, the Professor of Virology disclosed that many factors exist in environmental pollution that are bound to generate lots of controversy on research and claims.
"We therefore need to firstly identify our own contribution so that we could now work on stopping this environmental pollution in our society. There are so many types of pollution. We definitely need to start from somewhere as throwing of dirty things on our roads is one way of pollution that could be hazardous to the health of the citizens".
According to Tomori, "we need to find out from scientists, what is the reason for a particular research and what is the effect on people in the community? When these are understood, the media would be able to pass across such information to improve the lives of the people, therefore bringing about rapid development for not only the people but infrastructure".
He urged scientists to also interact more with the media, to let them know how researches affects lives also; and then allow people appreciate the sciences.
In a paper presented by Lateef Salako, an Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, he described science as the bedrock of professions like medicine, engineering, agriculture, etc. on which quality of the peoples' lives are anchored.
"Since we all as scientists and media practitioners share the vision of better lives for our people, we have a responsibility to ensure that the general populace get scientific information that could be important for their welfare in a simple, understandable form", he stated.
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Charging the media as communications specialists not to limit their reportage on health sector alone but all other aspects of the science fields, the Professor also warned that such information should be updated over time so that people do not go about with archaic ideas.
Focusing on 'Scientists and Scientific information', Salako disclosed that scientists have a traditional avenue for communicating their research findings, by way of publication in the appropriate scientific or professional journals.
In their various contributions, media practitioners at the event appreciated the fact that the science is important in view of what experts are doing in the health, engineering, agriculture and other scientific circles in Nigeria and even those that are abroad.
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