Cholera outbreak continues to be a source of concern to all. Hence, the issue of food safety should always be taken seriously. It is for this reason that a Professor of Food Microbiology and Safety, Prof. Adebukunola Omemu, has called on governments and policymakers to set the rules of the game by establishing food safety regulations and enforcing them through inspection and penalties for the overall benefits of Nigerians.
Prof. Omemu, in her presentation, titled ‘Safe Journey of Food: from Farm-To-Fork’, said it is crucial to promote sustainable practices in agriculture and foster collaboration between public health, animal health, and agriculture, “which are crucial steps to achieving a truly safe food system,” stressing that they should also fund research on food safety issues and invest in training programme for food industry personnel and consumer.
The don believes that governments and policymakers can leverage advancements in technology such as blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and data analytics to enhance traceability across the supply chain, adding that “this transparency fosters accountability and facilitates swift response in case of contamination or outbreaks”. She stated further, “The role of farmers starts at the very beginning by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and they should minimise contamination risks at the source by responsibly managing pesticides, animal waste and irrigation water”.
The food safety advocate, however, urged scientific and educational institutions to identify and address emerging food safety threats through their various researches and also facilitates community engagements and outreach efforts to empower consumers with knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about food safety. In the same vein, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Ergonomics), Salami Ismaila, has called for collaborative effort between government, regulatory bodies, businesses and other stakeholders to ensure that workstations are designed to support neutral postures and implement measures that optimise the design of workspaces.
Prof. Ismaila made the call is his paper titled: “Ergonomics: A Paradigm Shift from FPJ to FJP Towards Adopting Human-Centered Engineering”. According to him, there is the need for regular training programmes to educate workers and employers about the importance of ergonomic and proper workplace practices, adding that the training should include the correct use of furniture, tools and equipment to prevent musculoskeletal disorders. He emphasised the need for regular breaks and stretching exercises to prevent prolonged periods of sitting and reduce the risk of musculoskeletal issues, noting that the habit of sitting in meetings for four hours without a break, is not healthy.
Prof. Ismaila revealed that an anthropometric data bank serves various purposes across different fields, saying “it is essential for tailoring designs, products, and services to the unique characteristics of human body”, adding that it contributes to functionality, comfort, and safety across various industries, promoting inclusivity and addressing the diverse needs of people. the population. The don, however, submitted that the government should create a department in the National Productivity Centre to promote and oversee ergonomic practices, saying that such department should be saddled with the responsibility of establishing and enforcing ergonomic standards for various industries.
In another development, an appeal has gone to all institutions of learning to establish language laboratories to promote language learning in order to ensure socioeconomic development and promotion of healthy life and environment. The lecture was titled, ‘Eliminating the Avoidable Gulf between Knowledge and Development’, Bodunde, a Professor of Communication and General Studies, said her view was influenced by various research-based language policy, language teaching and learning, as instruments of knowledge dissemination, adding that those institutions should also provide enabling learning environment for language learning.
By this, she meant that they should provide electricity in electronic and face-to-face classrooms to power the media resources for learning, however, adding that “large class size is a bane to language”, recommending small size classrooms in face-to-face learning environment, she said that language laboratories can promote language learning. All institutions should establish the laboratory for the use of students and staff alike. Language clinic should also be established for both students and staff to provide both prophylactic and curative treatments.
Prof. Bodunde recommended that the 21st language teacher should upgrade from low level intellectual language thinking to a high order intellectual thinking tasks that will invoke creativity, innovation and productivity for socio-economic development, healthy life and promotion of healthy environment. The don explained that teacher development at all levels should be more intense in such a way that language teachers’ competence would not be in doubt, noting that the cost implication of this could be huge, as she called on the government, and other stakeholders to fund language education better.
In summary, we can see the importance of preserving our food away from toxic microbes and other contaminants, the imperative of having workstations that are designed to support neutral postures and measures that optimise the design of workspaces in bid to enhance the well-being and productivity of individuals while the essence of language laboratories towards the promote language learning in order to ensure that the socio-economic development and promotion of healthy life and environment in our society are properly safeguarded.
