A FUNAAB don and expert in Fruit Science, Professor Isaac Aiyelaagbe, has decried the neglect of fruits as a panacea to food insecurity and malnutrition in Nigeria. Delivering the 39th Inaugural Lecture of the University titled, “Fruits: Food for the Birds?”. Professor Aiyelaagbe elicited the laughter of his audience when he admonished them not to buy “ẹșa” (rotten tomatoes), any more. He also lamented that though the country had between six and fifteen per cent malnutrition rating, nutritional and health benefits of fruits remained unexploited.
A Humboldt Fellow and an ordained Anglican Priest serving in non-stipendiary capacity in the Ibadan Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Professor Aiyelaagbe called for a re-orientation of the mindset of the Nigerian populace that fruits were not food meant only for birds or the sick. According to the University don, World Health Organization (WHO) in 2002, reported that low fruit and vegetable intake caused about 31 per cent of Ischemic heart disease and 11 per cent stroke worldwide, adding that many Nigerian children less than five years old suffered from Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) due to poor nutrition.
Professor Aiyelaagbe joined the services of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta as a Senior Lecturer in 1999. He rose through the ranks to become Professor of Pomology in 2005. He has contributed seventy-five (75) publications in learned journals articles, referred proceedings, Technical Bulletins and papers read at conferences.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the occasion, Professor Olusola Oyewole, stated that the Inaugural Lecture is another facet of the Gown and Town interaction: An opportunity to share the products of learning with society as they address contemporary issues.
The occasion was graced by dignitaries within and outside the University community including a former Minister of Works, who is now the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe.