Caleb Varsity Partners Lagos Govt on Environmental Issues
Ugo Aliogo
The Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, Imota, Prof. Aina Ayandiji Aina has expressed the institution’s desire to partner with Lagos state government in addressing critical environmental issues facing the state.
Briefing Journalists recently, in Lagos, said they have mapped out plans to partner with the government to do a research on Ojota dumpsite located at Ojota Local government area, with a view to addressing the health challenges it may cause.
He noted that his institution is also collaborating with some institutions in Canada, US, South Africa and Ghana and their sister universities in the country in order to address other environmental issues facing the state, adding that they would also get some of their researchers to collaborate with those from the US and Canada to do an environmental impact analysis on the site, and the future implications, while focusing on how to carryout damage control mechanism and properly advise the state government.
“We are currently drawing a proposal on the dump site and other environmental issues. We have spoken to government and they are excited about it. The Commissioner of Environment has said he wants to see the proposal first so that work can begin in earnest.”
Ayandiji said the university is also collaborating with government and other security agencies in its drive to ensure the safety of lives and property in the community.
He added that such collaboration with the security agencies begins from the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to the Department of State Security (DSS), Lagos state government, as well as the community security watch.
According to him, “our interactions with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have yielded a very robust relationship. We have a rapid response team that is constantly on ground in the university community. They have been stationed here in the school to provide security. There are times when the area commander leads a patrol team to the university by 3 a.m. We have our security network which ensures that before things happen in the larger community, we get wind of it.
“We are not 100 percent reliant on perimeter fence because sometimes, these constructions can be pulled down and armed robbers can wreck havoc on the university.
Therefore, what is needed is having the appropriate intelligence report on time to act as a shield. Therefore the next step is to put the necessary measures in place.