This is a past event
Following the huge success of the first Cross College Seminar on Research in Nigeria held on the 12th of April, 2011, a second seminar was organised by the Centre for Sustainable International Development (CSID). The seminar was held on the 5th of August 2011 in the MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen. Students and staff from across the University were in attendance. The meeting was chaired by Dr Sola Kasim, a Research Fellow in Energy at the University of Aberdeen Business School.
Four speakers (from the three Colleges at the University) gave brief presentations on their research projects and the relevance of their research to Nigeria. The first Speaker, Celestine Iwendi, a doctoral candidate in engineering gave a presentation on his research on the ‘Security Management for Wireless Sensor Network Nodes in Nigeria’. He talked about how wireless sensors could be inserted into oil pipelines and to aid the detection of leaks and therefore prevent oil spillage. He suggested that this would save the Nigerian government considerable money in terms of providing security for oil pipelines as hoodlums will be deterred from vandalising pipelines. He also mentioned how community members would be able to control their environment if Wireless censor nodes were in place and thereby ensure environmental sustainability. The second speaker, Oluwabunmi Agoro, an MSc student in International Health and Management spoke about her research on ‘The impact of nutrition education in reducing Maternal and Neonatal mortality and morbidity in Nigeria’. According to WHO and UNICEF data, northern Nigeria is one of the most dangerous places to give birth in the world because of its high maternal and neonatal mortality. The areas with the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates are also those areas with the lowest percentage of educated women. She referred to the importance of culture and traditions which prevent women from eating nutritious foods during pregnancy. Based on her research findings, she concluded that increasing access to education may lead to the fall in maternal and neonatal mortality and contribute to the achievement of MDG’s 4 and 5 and other MDG’s such as MDG 2 (universal primary education) and 3 (gender equality). The third speaker, Kingsley Nwozor, a doctoral candidate in Geology and Petroleum Geology presented his research on ‘Aspects of Pore Pressure Prediction in parts of Onshore Niger Delta’. He showed pictures of oil spillage and gas flaring in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and stated that over-pressured zones are a safety concern to the driller and the environment at large. He talked about the need for a pore pressure prediction as a first step in appraising deep onshore prospects. This would not only prevent untold hazards, but also save money that would have been spent containing the damage caused by pore pressure. The final speaker Peter Kayode Oniemola, a doctoral candidate in Law gave a presentation on ‘Sustainable Development and the clean development Mechanism: What has the International legal Regime on Climate change offered oil rich Niger Delta’. He talked about the importance of climate change and defined the clean development mechanism (CDM) as a legal mechanism that allows a country with a commitment to reduce or limit emissions in developing countries. He stated that the CDM was not being implemented in Nigeria and that this may be due to the protocol not being adapted to the needs of the Niger Delta. He concluded by suggesting an amendment to the protocol to facilitate the implementation of the CDM and ensure sustainable development in Nigeria. After all the presentations, there was a question and answer session. It was interesting to see students and staff from different disciplines challenging presenters from other disciplines. In his closing remarks the chairman Dr Sola Kasim noted that all four presenters were researching in areas of prevention and re-emphasized the importance of prevention, rather than cure. The Director of CSID (Dr Hilary Homans) closed the meeting and thanked the four presenters for their efforts. She noted that two of the presenters (Oluwabunmi and Peter) are volunteers at the CSID and that she was proud of their academic progress. In conclusion, it was a very successful meeting which sends out a message that these Cross College seminars are here to stay. The CSID, particularly Dr. Hilary Homans, Oyinkansola Chukuka Tasie, Onyema Chukwuemeka Uwanaka and Simon Jackson are to be commended for their efforts in organising this seminar. We look forward to the next one. Joy Onubi Ojochenemi (CSID Volunteer)