By Aderemi Bamgbose
Dr Sunday Agbeniyi, Director, Research Operations, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, has advocated for increased and adequate funding for research to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security.
Agbeniyi stated this on Tuesday at the 15th Annual Conference of the Mycological Society of Nigeria (MYCOSON 2025), held at the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, Ondo State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was themed: “Fungi Frontiers In A Sustainable World: Innovation, Exploitation And Future Perspective”.
Agbeniyi, who used fungi on cocoa as a case study, highlighted the dual nature of fungi, citing their potential as significant pathogens threatening human, animal, and plant health, while also playing beneficial roles in various industries and ecosystems.
He noted that beneficial fungi play a crucial role in processes such as probiotics, food and beverage production and pharmaceuticals, while also serving as eco-friendly bio-control agents in agriculture, providing an alternative to chemical pesticides.
The Professor of Botany and Mycology added that pathogenic fungi, however, could cause a wide range of diseases, from superficial infections to life-threatening invasive conditions, exacerbated by the growing concern of drug resistance.
According to him, fungi cause 70 to 80 per cent of plant diseases, resulting in 10 to 15 per cent loss in global crop production and billions in economic losses.
He warned that insufficient research funding to explore fungi’s impact on plants and cash crops could jeopardise the Renewed Hope Agenda’s food security goals, emphasising that increased funding for fungi research is crucial to ensure the agenda’s success.
“Millions of naira has been lost to food security of cash crops, plants, grains and other staple foods because of the activities of fungi.
“Modern research seeks to unravel the interactions using molecular and cellular techniques to contribute to soil health and plant resilience to promote stress tolerance, solubilise nutrients and modulate plant immune systems.
“Without adequate funding for proper research to mitigate the disease causing organisms in order to suppress them, Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on food security can be threatened,” he said.
According to Agbeniyi, investing in fungi research is, in essence, investing in Nigeria’s food security and ecological resilience.
Meanwhile, Prof. Soji Fakoya, Chairman, Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the conference, said that the conference represented not only a convergence of academic excellence but also a celebration of the power of science to solve real world problems.
While commending members of the LOC for the success of the conference, he also expressed gratitude to Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, OAUSTECH’s Vice Chancellor for his unwavering support and encouragement.
He said the VC’s commitment to advancing research, innovation, and academic distinction has created an enabling environment for the conference to flourish.
“This conference provides a timely and relevant platform for reflection, dialogue, and innovation as provoking presentations, meaningful collaborations, and the forging of new ideas will shape the future of mycology in Nigeria and beyond,” Fakoya said.
Earlier, Ologunorisa welcomed the arrays of scientists, researchers and academicians to the conference.
He highlighted OAUSTECH’s reputation for rigorous research across all scientific fields just as he encouraged participants to freely share innovative ideas that could address pressing scientific challenges.
He commended the convergence of researchers, adding that their wealth of experience and expertise would bring solutions to myriads of problems bedevilling the state and the county at large. (NAN)