By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
A university Don, Prof. Wilberforce Oti, in the Department of Industrial Chemistry at Ebonyi State University, has raised alarm over the contamination of farm produce in Ebonyi’s mining areas, revealing that 90% of crops, including vegetables, tubers, and fruits, are tainted with lead.
Speaking during his 30th inaugural lecture at the university, Prof. Oti explained that the contamination is a result of mining activities in areas like Enyigba, where lead from the mining sites leaches into the soil and is absorbed by crops.
“From my own research, it is not the entire Ebonyi but areas like Enyigba, about 20% of the people are already affected by lead-related issues because of the answers they gave to our questionnaires,” he said.
“Secondly, most of the plants that are coming from these polluted areas, 90% of them are already polluted, because the moment there is lead in the soil, the plants will absorb it,” Prof. Oti added.
He further explained that while some areas not affected by lead contamination are safer for farming, many crops from the polluted areas are sold outside the region, leading to the spread of contaminated produce.
“For those ones who planted in areas where there is no lead, there is relatively safety, but you know people, they will plant things and sell it elsewhere. One may not be able to say that those things planted in Enyigba are also consumed within the Enyigba environment, but the reality is that every vegetable and fruit we analyze, some of them contain two different toxic metals, some contain one, some none. Generally speaking, 90% of the plants in that area are already polluted,” he stated.
Prof. Oti warned of the serious health risks posed by consuming contaminated crops, particularly for pregnant women, as lead stored in the bones can be transferred to unborn children, potentially causing severe birth defects.
He recommended the adoption of phytoremediation, a process that uses specific plants to remove toxic metals from the soil, to restore the land for safe farming.
“The government should step in, those plants that are already affected by metal pollutants should be banned, and farmers should be encouraged to use land that is not polluted to plant their crops because in time, a lot of people will be affected with diseases that are associated with lead and other toxic metals. Also, they should be educated and enlightened. The people should know that some of the plants they are eating now will eventually affect them,” he urged.
Prof. Oti also emphasized the need for more research and funding to identify additional plants suitable for phytoremediation and to explore nanotechnology to improve the process’s efficiency.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, commended the significance of inaugural lectures in advancing academic research. He noted that the university has held 30 such lectures under his leadership, contributing to its high academic ranking.
“This is the opportunity to tell the society what you have been working on for years. It is a very important exercise, and since this administration came on board, we have had 20 of them. This is what is helping us to rank very high. So, it is an important exercise, and I want to encourage every professor to do this,” Prof. Ogbu stated.