David Aworinde, the vice chancellor of Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology in Okitipupa, Ondo State, has urged the federal government to support research institutes and pass legislation to guarantee the protection and sustainable use of plants and trees in Nigeria.

Aworinde emphasised the pressing need for group efforts to protect Nigeria’s rich plant life, explaining that plants were essential for oxygen, food, clothing, housing, medicine, furniture, and decoration.

This was said by Aworinde during the university’s fifth inaugural lecture, which took place on Monday in the main auditorium.

He believed that in order to return the priceless advantages that plants provide to humans, there needed to be an international effort.

He also highlighted the significance of using, collecting, and preserving plants responsibly—that is, without abusing, mutilating, or attacking them.

Careless cutting down of whole trees or plants for a few leaves shows a lack of respect for the divine gift of these essential botanical beings, he said. Such unsustainable practices not only disregard the holiness of plants but also endanger their survival and ability to reproduce.

“Harvesting methods that are not sustainable may cause negative reactions from the spiritual essence of plants.”

The don demanded that those who gather and utilise plants—such as hunters, herbalists, traditional midwives, herb dealers, and individual consumers—be educated and guided on the importance of sustainable gathering practices.

OAUSTECH Vice-Chancellor Temi Ologunorisa praised the first lecturer’s academic accomplishments in botany, especially in the areas of plant anatomy and taxonomy, in his remarks.

He emphasised the lecturer’s attempts to reveal the usefulness of plants as sources of food, revenue, and medical treatment for a range of conditions.

For the sake of all people, the VC also urged the Nigerian government to put laws protecting and conserving endangered plant species into effect nationwide.