….Calls For Review In Nigeria’s Chemistry Curriculum
Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
A Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, Emmanuel Eghe Egbon, has called on Nigeria and Africa to return to the use of clay vessels for cooking, eating and drinking if the continent must tackle the surge in public health challenges and reduce billions spent on disease treatment.
Delivering the 134th Inaugural Lecture of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, he urged Nigerians to embrace clay as a multifunctional earth material that promotes healthier living and sustainable communities.
The lecture, titled “Drinking and Eating with Clay Vessels, Renewed Hope: Dynamics of Multifunctional Earth Material,” stressed that water stored in clay pots contains up to 200 times more oxygen than bottled water, which he described as “dead water” due to plastic storage and processing.
“Drinking from earthen vessels improves digestion, prevents sunstroke, treats sore throats, and enhances metabolism,” Prof. Egbon said, adding that clay also detoxifies the body, clears acne, regenerates skin tissue, reduces blemishes, prevents blackheads, and brightens the skin.
According to him, using clay pots eliminates the need for artificial supplements as it helps prevent many diseases plaguing society.
He argued that a global dependence on plastic has deepened health hazards, stressing that clay offers a natural, low-cost alternative.
Beyond lifestyle choices, Prof. Egbon called for a review of Nigeria’s Chemistry curriculum, recommending a 60 percent focus on practicals and 40 percent on applied chemistry, to enable students unlock the potentials of multifunctional earth materials for national development.
The highpoint of the lecture was the official decoration of the Inaugural Lecturer with the university’s medal by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel, who described Egbon’s research as groundbreaking.
Various groups, including Edonirisi, also presented gifts to the professor.