Gbenro Adesina
On Tuesday November 30, 2021, all roads led to the Faculty of Pharmacy Auditorium of the University of Ibadan (UI) for the opening ceremony of the 2021 Biennial Conference and Workshop of the UI Association of Science Laboratory Technologists of Nigeria (ASLTON). The three-day event themed, “Solving Human Challenges in this Covid Era Through Sustainable Technological Development and Research: Science Technologist as Key player”, had in attendance scholars, students, unions leaders, friends and associates.
During the conference, 13 academic papers, of which their abstracts have been accepted will be discussed. The titles of the papers are: “The 5G mobile communication health risk effect on rat brain-blood and semen organs”, Alpha-tocopherol content of processed shea butter”, “Biological chemical composition of infected tomato obtained from different market in Ibadan”, “A review of insomnia and the role of medicinal plants as sedative”, “Vitamin C content of refrigerated watermelon juice treated with Aframamum denielli and Citric acid”, “Antimicrobial activities and toxicity of selected medicinal plants against oral cavity microbes”, and “Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH’s) in a contaminated soil of selected mechanics workshop using uncontaminated sawdust and pseudomines auriginosa Ojoo-Ibadan”.
Others are: “Mobile suitcase laboratory for multiple testing of pathogens to support the elimination of malaria in Nigeria”, “Pathogen microoorganisms associated with mango rot (Magnifera Indical L.) in Owo, Ondo State, “Improvisation, a way to scientific improvement in Africa”, “Human health risk assessment of heavy metals in common traditional herbs sold in Ibadan markets”, “Assessment of heavy metals concentration in selected tissues, gulls and muscles of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Odo Ona River in Ibadan, Oyo State”, and “Phytochemicals, phytofabrication and biological evaluation of Aqeous extract of Abrus precatorious leaves and stem and their silver Nanoparticles”.
The conference will also feature five plenaries with five speakers presenting five papers slated across the three days. The papers are: “The use of biotechnology in sustainable development and research in Covid era” by Dr Mac Donald Ighodaro of the Department of Biochemistry, Lead City University, “Laboratory health and safety in Covid era” by Dr Aderonke Ajav, Director, University of Ibadan Health Service, “Roles of Drosophilia in technology and research development” by Dr A. O. Abolaji of Department of Biochemistry, UI, “Attitude, Innovation and Efficiency of science technologist in solving societal challenges in the face of Covid-19” by Oludele Adeleke of the Department of Computer Science, UI, and “Procurement law and the purchase of laboratory equipment: The position of science technologists” by Engr. J. Kehinde Ajibola, Director of Procurement, UI.
In her welcome address to the event, ASLTON Chairperson, Deborah Adekunbi Aluko, enjoined participants to be actively involved. She also highlighted eight major achievements centering on the welfare of the members, which her administration has made.
Also, Chairman Local Organising Committee, Osuntade Oludare from Anatomy Department, appealed that technologists’ welfare be taken very seriously, saying that the institution should take training and retraining of technologists as crucial.
He called on the University authority to remove the ceiling of their promotion from grade level 13 and be allowed to reach grade level 15, saying that they want to reach the peak of their career. He demanded for laboratory policy that would make the University Laboratory at par with those in advanced countries.
Most pressing to the group is the recruitment of well qualified junior laboratory staff and senior technologists to fill the vacuum being created by retiring staff, stressing that vacuum has been created because many technologists have retired and replacements have not been made to fill these gaps.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Kayode Adebowale, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Professor Ezekiel Ayoola, commended the noble roles of technologists in the institution, pointing out that no meaningful research could be carried out without technologists.
Making a commitment to the staff welfare, Adebowale sought the support and cooperation of all unions in sustaining the university in the world class cycle.
He called on the unions to ensure industrial harmony so as to allow peace to reign on campus. Stressing the importance of industrial peace to the University, Adebowale said, “We know what happened in the last 17 months. Without peace, nothing can be achieved. Without peace, the business of research and other academic exercise cannot be achieved”.
Speaking in the same direction, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Aderonke M. Baiyeroju, who spoke through Professor Samuel Olaleye, emphasised the importance of laboratory technologists in any society, stressing that laboratory itself is an important and an essential facility for national development.
She promised that the Premier University would up its game in carrying out researches on Covid-19 with a view to finding a lasting solution to the pandemic, urging the government at all levels to do likewise.
Confident that ASLTON has made and is still making positive impacts, in her goodwill message, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnership (RISP), Professor Oluyemisi A. Bamgbose, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted that, “ASLTON is a professional organization with quality membership across Nigeria”.
Bamgbose said, “It is a good time to gather together under the auspices of the Science Laboratory Technologists National Body Association, trying to channel ways of solving human challenges in the Covid era, through sustainable technological development and research, whilst using science technologists as key players”.
She pointed out that Covid-19 has battered all the facets of human endeavours without spearing the economy, health care system, social lifestyle, belief system, education and quite strangely, religious belief. “After the tears and mourning, this conference/workshop, is a reasonable step in the right direction to look around and start solving the issues and challenges posed by the advent of Covid-19, while trying to salvage our economy, healthcare structure, education and other vital systems”, she added.
Bamgbose highlighted the role of the science laboratory technologists in solving human challenges posed by the deadly Corona virus pandemic, saying “Basically, a technical laboratory scientist is responsible for using established literatures on laboratory technologies and basic scientific experimentation to improve processes and product”.
According to her, their roles include: implementing various experimental studies and providing support to all laboratory objectives and plan so as to modify various experiments and analyse all statistical data, maintaining and preparing all required documents and assisting to collate all consent records to prepare required medical reports and manage all protocol deviations for all research associate events, designing all manuscripts for research and making required presentations for training all personnel in everyday activities, assisting students with all biological sample preparation and developing required molecular laboratory techniques to determine an efficient research programmes for all laboratory and monitory and procuring all necessary materials for research and managing of all research equipment.
Others include, “Managing all laboratory equipment and associate supplies needed to efficiently collect and maintain data and evaluate all project literature, preparing all documents for manuscripts and maintaining inventory of all order equipment and supplies to ensure compliance with all federal policies and mandates, providing technical assistance to all research support staff and facilitating regular communication with all students and laboratory staff to perform various experiments”.
She holds, “All these roles, if channeled rightly and appropriately, would enhance sustainable technological development”, adding, “As we all known, the transfer of knowledge, skills and solutions in the science and technology fields can have a profound and lasting impact on the development trajectories of nations and people”.
The Professor of Criminal Law strongly holds that the world cannot develop or achieve sustainable technological development without modern technology and new solutions to old problems.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the pressing need for countries to focus more on elevating science, technology and innovation (STI) in both policy and practical terms. We need more research, collaboration, data and knowledge sharing to cope with the immediate impacts of the coronavirus crisis and go beyond it. More than ever, we need a multilateral approach to ensuring that STI solves the human challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic”, she stated.
She advocated for the implementation of the recommendations and submissions of the conference, expected to address the fundamental framework of human challenges at this material.
Also, the Provost of College of Medicine, Professor Oluyinka Omigbodun described laboratory technologists as resourceful professionals, particularly, in ensuring that science work is achieved with ease. She opined that UI would not have been among the top-rated university in the world without the contributions of science laboratory technologists.
Omigbodun, represented by Professor Fatai Adeniyi, urged them to do more and take charge if they want to be mainstream into academic staff.
Both the Chairman, Governing Council and Director-General/Registrar/CEO, Nigeria Institute of Science Laboratory Technologists (NISLT), Elder Olu-Ajayi Oluranti Michael and Yemi H. Gbadegesin, noted that the gathering focuses on knowledge sharing which is in the right direction for the development of Nigeria, expecting the forum to come up with solutions to the teeming health challenges facing Nigeria. They were represented by Oluwayemisi Haruna and Patrick Ikoku respectively.
Gbadegesin added, “The conference will indeed provide an opportunity for scientists/technologists to share with relevant stakeholders, who have worked seriously in curbing Covid-19 pandemic since 2020 and showcase what SLT can offer in addressing this menace”.
He appealed to the University to “reintroduce the running of SLT programme that was hitherto stopped”.
In his goodwill message, Former Chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB) and current Head of Department, Animal Science, Professor Adesoji Adejumo, called on tertiary institution to mainstream science laboratory technologists into the academic, stressing that academic is not complete with the exclusion of science laboratory technologists.
His words, “80 percent of technologists in my department are women. I want to publicly acknowledge and appreciate laboratory technologists. I want to thank the laboratory technologists in Animal Science and say that without them, we will not be making progress. I met 104 PhD students in the department, in the last 10 months, we have graduated 10. Science laboratory technologists are more important than we the PhD supervisors because they are closer to laboratory than us. Where are we situating laboratory technologists in the academic world? Are they academic or not? Until we mainstream laboratory technologists into academic staff, academic staff is not complete. Laboratory technologists should be made to enjoy all the benefits that academic staff are enjoying”.
Adejumo, however, urged the laboratory scientists to be more involved in academic activities saying, “ASLTON should situate themselves properly because they are academic staff”.
Also commending the technologists, Dean, Faculty of Science, Professor A. A. Bakare, said that over the years, there have been improvement in their works, stressing that they had joined the management in moving the institution forward.
He charged them to be more academic in the way they carry out their official responsibilities. “If you are academic technologists, let us see the academic in you. Technologists are part and parcel of researchers. Be innovative. If you are given something to do, do it to the standard of academic. By the time we see that academic in you, it will be easy to categorise you”, he said.
He mentioned that postgraduate programme has been approved for Science Laboratory technology adding that it is only awaiting the Senate approval.
In his speech, Governor Seyi Makinde, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Health, Dr A. M. Ayoola, urged everyone to do their best in guiding against Covid-19, encouraging Nigerians not to be tired of Covid-19’s ritual until it is completely eradicated.
Earlier, the theme speaker, UI Director, Research Foundation, Professor A. M. J. Oduola called on UI researchers to collaborate with other scientists like technologists to articulate research into transformational research with innovation for sustainable national development.
He vigorously advocated for the implementation of all researches being carried out in UI, rather than allowing it to continue to gather dust on the shelves, saying that all sectors in the university should work together to transform research into reality.
Oduola is concerned about the University not taking the advantage that Covid-19 has presented and turn it into economic advantage, pointing out that materials being used to curb the spread of Covid-19 like nose mask and hand sanitizer could be invested on for economic gain for the University.
He asked Nigerians to move away from analogue innovation to scientific innovation so that the nation could move at the pace in which the international community is moving.
