The 31^st Inaugural Lecturer of Covenant University, Professor Israel Afolabi, a Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry & Phytomedicine, Department of Biochemistry, Covenant University, has called on the Federal Government to further invest and reinvest in technological revolution to drive national development.

He made this call  while delivering the  31st Inaugural Lecture of the institution on Saturday, April 27, 2024, titled, ‘Setting the hurdle for glorification: The cross-coded structural pathways to spring-up nutrients in foods for sustained commonwealth.’

Prof. Israel Afolabi, decried the poor level of nutrition available to an average family in the country, “The current insecurity crisis experienced in our nation may be attributed to poor access to good nutrition, as food and nutrients are programme software that drive the behavior of humans in response to her community.”

He suggested that deliberate use of the dietary approach could help in crime control at the national and global levels. He said: “I believe that the level of crime will be reduced if the community is given adequate diet and nutrients, especially at the childhood level.”

The professor of Nutritional Biochemistry & Phytomedicine, urged the Federal Government to establish a ministry of food processing which should be encouraged to use local research output by industries in Nigeria. Afolabi said that providing tax incentives for these industries would also create market competition that may force the price of services down for the benefit of the citizens.

The don added that technological drive was imperative for national development, adding that such a drive would engage the minds of several youths to reduce crime. According to him, proper education which inculcates critical thinking dynamics in youths and explores their knowledge gaps for practicable global competition is needed. The Don, emphasised that universities and research institutes should be empowered through adequate funding to generate products and services for global competition.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Abiodun Adebayo, said that the 31st Inaugural Lecture was critical and timely to addressing fundamental human existence. Adebayo said that the entire nation was grappling with acute hunger and nutritional deficiency, due to the constant destruction of food production and distribution chains, rising from armed banditry and numerous attacks on farmers, among others.

“It is time for the federal government to look inward and see how food could be made available to everyone, because a hungry man is an angry man,” he said.

The vice-chancellor assured that the institution would continue to strive hard to ensure that it promotes research that would advance food security in the country. He also urged the federal government to continue to diversify the economy from oil to Agriculture in order to secure food security and tame the prices of goods and services.