A university don Professor Sami M. Ayodele, has called for the commencement of an elaborate sensitisation of Nigerian citizens on the need to embrace mushroom cultivation as research shows that it can create wealth, alleviate poverty and enhance human health.

Ayodele, a professor of botany, stated this in Abuja while presenting the National Open University of Nigeria’s 22nd Inaugural Lecture on Thursday.

Speaking on the topic, “Mushrooms: Friends or Foes,’’ the expert from the Faculty of Science of the university, noted that mushroom stands tall amongst other vegetables due to its high medicinal and nutritional content that can deal with micronutrient malnutrition which is prevalent among the less privileged in the society.

He said: “The global demand for mushrooms has continued to increase significantly according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) report and the market for mushrooms is also huge and growing exponentially.

Ayodele said if attention is given to mushroom cultivation, it can offer a lot of hope by contributing significantly to the country’s GDP.

“It is safe to declare that Nigeria can earn as much as 1 trillion naira annually if the sector is properly developed. 

“The mushroom sub-sector, along the value chain, if properly developed and managed, could provide 30 million skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs for the teeming unemployed graduates, vulnerable youths and women,’’ he said.

The lecturer, therefore, called for regular conferences and workshops by mushroom scientist to sensitise the Nigerian public about the new trends in mushroom cultivation and its potential for food security.

Speaking on the plant’s nutritional benefits, Ayodele said mushrooms are rich sources of protein, fibre, vitamins, and carbohydrates, amongst others. 

Thus, he said, it is suitable for patients with heart disease, hypertension and diabetes.

On the numerous health benefits of mushrooms, the don also revealed that mushrooms contain special ingredients that help prevent cancer and other life-threatening medical conditions. 

He added that they can also be used to treat headache, stomach ache, fever, cold, mumps and heart disease.

According to him, mushrooms play a role in reducing environmental pollution by converting and utilising organic wastes generated through activities of agricultural, forest, and food processing industries.

The scholar presented a 10-point recommendation in which he called on the Nigerian government to establish national mushroom germplasm centres in different parts of the country where documentation of all available edible and medicinal mushrooms is housed.

He also recommended the inclusion of mushroom cultivation for entrepreneurial purposes in the educational curriculum in Biological and Agricultural sciences.

Pharmaceutical industries in Nigeria, according to him, should exploit the medicinal potentials of the bio-diversities of medicinal mushrooms in the country for medicinal formulation.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Olufemi Peters, commended Ayodele for his erudition and research that will raise more awareness on the immense benefits and value of mushrooms to the economy.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Uduma Orji Uduma, in his vote of thanks, congratulated the lecturer and thanked the university community for coming out in huge numbers for the inaugural lecture.

The lecture attracted the lecturer’s family and friends, traditional rulers, colleagues and well-wishers.

About forty seven business shops and an area of  500 X 300 feets use as a tomatoes seasonal market and business premises 

were razed in triple fire incident in the three local government areas of Bichi, Sumaila and Bagwai in Kano State Tuesday.

The fire in Bichi started around 5:20 which engulfed forty tomatoes huts was successfully extinguished by the men of the state fire service.

Also the fire outbreak at Dan Dabino Tomatoes Market Bagwai local governments area was effectively extinguished and dismal it’s escalation by the state fire fighters and saved about twenty Permanent shops, one event center and a vehicles that was parked within the affected area. 

Cause of the incident according to the state fire service was careless use of naked fire around the market which started from one hut to the other.

The Sumaila fire incident which gulped about seven shops started about 7:20 pm at a one storey building of about 100 X 40 feets that is use as a business premises.

Cause of the fire incident was electric sparks from the electrical appliances in a phone accesocery shop.

An area of about two hundred by One hundred and fifty feet’s of Kano singa markets was raze down by fire incident which started at the top floor of gidan savannah around 2:00 am Monday morning.

Public Relations officer, Kano state fire service PFS Saminu Yusif Abdullahi disclosed that the cause of the disaster was from an electricity malfunction which sparks fire and generated into burning of temporary shops withing the area.

The electricity spark from the premises of the  top floor of gidan savannah which was engulf by the roaring flames in the the refrigerator rooms that was used for making ice blocks business and culminated to the affected area as a result of unprofessional wirings.

The one storey building is also use as a departmental store shops for keeping essentials commodity.

No injury or life was lost.

The state fire service urged the public to switched off all electrical appliances and disconnect such from source whenever it is not in use especially at night and to refrain from careless use of naked fire throughout market premises.