Executive Director, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Prof. Lateef Sanni, has underscored the health of stored products as central to sustainable national development.
Sanni stated this in Ibadan on Wednesday at a public lecture held in honour of the renowned agricultural entomologist, late Prof. Anthony Youdeowei.
The public lecture was organised by the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, University of Ibadan (UI).
Sanni, represented by NSPRI Zonal Coordinator, Dr Mariam Aremu, said the journey to national prosperity must continue from production to effective preservation and management of harvested products.
He said poor storage, pest infestation and contamination accounted for significant post-harvest losses in Nigeria, resulting in higher food prices, reduced farmer income and increased import dependency.
According to him, safeguarding stored products protects food security, public health and national economic stability.
“Stored product health is not merely a technical concern for specialists; it is a strategic pillar for national development, touching food security, public health, economic stability, and environmental sustainability,” Sanni said.
Sanni listed the following as innovations developed by NSPRI to improve post-harvest handling: parabolic solar dryer, hermetic steel drums, storage bags, smoking kits and inner-atmosphere silos.
Describing the late entomologist, Sanni said he devoted his career to research on stored product safety.
He noted that the tribute lecture was meant to sustain and expand his contributions to national development.
Earlier, Prof. Morufat Balogun, Head of Department, Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, UI, said the late scholar was appointed in 1969 as the fourth departmental head.
She said Youdeowei spent about 21 years in UI as a teacher, researcher and administrator, discharging his principal functions and accomplishing the department’s vision and mission.
“The department adopts ecological approaches to the practice of crop protection by conducting research that aims at ensuring the health of crops to enhance productivity, without compromising the well-being of humans and the health of the environment.
“As a reputable entomologist who has brought Nigeria to the international scene, the late Prof. Youdeowei has, therefore, contributed to this vision.
“We appreciate the family for the promise of the ‘Prof. Anthony Endowment Fund for the best graduating undergraduate student of the department for five sessions,” Balogun said.
The Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Tolulope Oshosanya, described Youdeowei as an accomplished scholar and mentor, whose textbooks and leadership helped build generations of crop protection scientists across and beyond Nigeria.
Oshosanya recalled Youdeowei’s tenure as departmental head and dean, noting that his humility, dedication to mentorship and passion for science distinguished his academic life.
The Vice-Chancellor, UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said the late entomologist served UI meritoriously as the Head of Department, Dean of Agriculture and Forestry, and Executive Director, University Publishing House.
Adebowale added that Youdeowei was a founding fellow of many renowned professional bodies in agriculture.
The VC said the late professor also worked with international bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Bank as an expert on integrated pest management.
Delivering the special tribute lecture, a professor of entomology, UI, Kehinde Popoola, attributed major losses in agricultural exports to poor post-harvest practices.
Popoola cited cases where inadequate pest control led to international rejection of Nigerian products.
He, therefore, called for improved storage facilities, better regulation of insecticides and increased stakeholder collaboration to protect food safety and boost export competitiveness.
In separate remarks, the President of the Entomological Society of Nigeria, Prof. Georgina Mwansat, and the deceased’s colleague, Dr Izonebi Obubo, praised Youdeowei’s immense scientific contributions.
They unanimously said that his legacy would continue to guide scholars.
In his vote of thanks, the deceased’s son, Prof. Patrick Youdeowei, appreciated participants for celebrating his father’s life and enduring impact on agricultural science.
