LAUTECH DVC raises alarm over declining interest in plant taxonomy, seeks government intervention
pannigeriannews
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The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management and Operations) of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Prof. Tunde Ogunkunle, has called for urgent government intervention to address declining interest in Botany and the dwindling number of trained plant taxonomists in Nigeria.
Ogunkunle, a Professor of Plant Taxonomy, made the call while delivering the university’s 76th Inaugural Lecture at the Great Hall recently.
The lecture, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Razaq Olatunde Kalilu, and titled, “Making Sense Out of Chaos: Taxonomy as a Universal ‘Digestive System’ Amidst Plentiful Harvest But Few Workers” attracted members of the university’s Governing Council, led by its Chairman, Prof. Ayodeji Omole; principal officers; provosts; deans; professors; members of Senate; directors of institutes and directorates; heads of departments and units; traditional rulers; community leaders; clerics; as well as members of the lecturer’s family and other well-wishers.
Describing taxonomy as an indispensable intellectual framework for organising complexity and generating meaningful knowledge, Ogunkunle explained that its relevance extended beyond Biology to virtually every sphere of human endeavour.
He likened the discipline to the human digestive system, which breaks down complex food substances into simpler components, explaining that taxonomy similarly organises the enormous diversity of life into manageable categories for identification, understanding and utilisation.
The professor stressed that accurate plant identification was fundamental to the standardisation of herbal medicine, biodiversity conservation, pharmaceutical development, food security and environmental sustainability.
He warned that the misidentification and misrepresentation of medicinal plants could result in adulterated herbal preparations, ineffective treatments, drug poisoning, serious health complications and even death.
Expressing concern over the widening gap between the growing demand for taxonomic expertise and the availability of trained specialists, Ogunkunle noted that a significant proportion of the world’s biodiversity remained undocumented despite centuries of scientific investigation.
Drawing inspiration from Luke 10:2, which states that “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few,” he described the situation as a serious taxonomic crisis that required deliberate institutional, educational and policy-driven interventions.
He called on the federal, state and local governments to declare a state of emergency over the dwindling number of plant taxonomy specialists in the country.
He also advocated the introduction of scholarships, bursaries and research grants to encourage more young Nigerians to study Plant Biology and pursue careers in plant taxonomy.
The don further proposed the establishment of a National Institute of Botany to strengthen research, training and professional development in the discipline, while urging universities to integrate taxonomic reasoning into their curricula.
He called on employers to recognise taxonomists as valuable professionals whose expertise could contribute to research, quality control, innovation and strategic decision-making.
Ogunkunle also urged the media and social media users to promote accurate public understanding of herbal medicine and desist from misleading representations of legitimate herbal practitioners.
Emphasising that biodiversity protection was a collective responsibility, he urged Nigerians to embrace sustainable utilisation of natural resources, tree planting and environmental conservation.
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