The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Felix Salako has called for collaboration among geo-scientists and public health researchers for national development. The Vice-Chancellor made the call during the conference of the International Medical Geologists Association (IMGA) held recently in the University. The conference, which was the second edition, was themed “Medical Geology and the Emerging Health Challenges”.
Declaring the conference open, Prof. Salako, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Prof. Lateef Sanni, called for a network and forum to bring together expertise, geologists, health scientists and environmental scientists to collaborate and work together to end the health challenges facing the nation. The President of IMGA, Nigeria, Prof. Adewole Gbadebo, noted that the conference was meant to promote better understanding between human health and the society. According to him, in a bid to achieve this lofty idea, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) established a working group in 1992 with the sole aim of advertising and making people aware of the harmful effects of the environment on human health.
He said the aim and objectives of the association include providing a network and forum for bringing the combined expertise of geologists, health scientists, toxicologists, medical specialists and environmental scientists together. Prof. Gbadebo urged participants to pay full attention to details that would emerge from the conference, as he appreciated University Management for the approval given to the association to host the conference. The Dean, College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM), Prof. Isaac Omoniyi spoke on the significance of medical geology, as the science of dealing with the relationship between geological factors and health problems in humans, animals and plants. He stated that the University had commenced the process of starting off the Department of Applied Geology in the College. He said this year’s theme was chosen to examine the public impact of geological materials and processes. Prof. Omoniyi said he hoped that after the conference, there would be solutions to emerging health challenges in the nation.
