Rector of the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, Prof. Abiodun Falodun, has said the institution is set to mark the World Environment Day with a public lecture and a tree planting initiative tomorrow, in partnership with the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN).
Governor Godwin Obaseki appointed Falodun recently as rector of the polytechnic with a mandate to reposition the school as a centre of excellence in technology education and innovation.
Speaking on programmes lined up to commemorate the environment day, Falodun said the school has concluded plans to hold a lecture entitled: Conservation and management of plastic wastes/pollutants: Participatory approach, to be delivered by Dr. Ekeoba Isikhuemen, an environmental conservator and forest rehabilitation ecologist in the Department of Forest Resources and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, UNIBEN.
He said the programmes are being lined up as the polytechnic joins the rest of the word to mark the day, raise global awareness and take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
He said: “On assumption of duty, I initiated the Bring Back our Environment (BBE) committee, with the mandate to ensure restoration and beautification of the Edo State Polytechnic, for conducive learning and research.
“The BBE, in collaboration with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the polytechnic, also has the clear mandate to develop winning proposals to attract grants from funding agencies, in making the polytechnic a regional centre for physical and urban planning, to drive the Obaseki-led administration’s urban planning initiatives and policies.”
The lecture, which will be chaired by Falodun, is aimed at developing models for waste management in Edo state.
The event will also feature the planting of trees and beautification of the polytechnic by staff and students, in line with the mandate and vision of Edo state government.
Falodun said 500 seedlings were donated pro-bono, to Edo State Polytechnic by the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria (Moist Forest Research Station), Ibadan, and the Department of Forest Resources and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin.