Beyond Niger Delta: LAUTECH Professor Urges FG to Harness Nigeria’s Hidden Earth Resources
A Professor of Organic Geochemistry at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Prof. Taofik Adewale Adedosu, has called on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to take urgent, strategic steps to harness Nigeria’s vast earth resources beyond the Niger Delta.
Prof. Adedosu made the call while delivering LAUTECH’s 74th Inaugural Lecture titled, _“Revealing the Nation’s Hidden Treasures Beyond the Niger Delta: Insights from Molecular Fingerprinting of Earth Resources.”_
He stressed the need for collective national action to unlock Nigeria’s molecular and mineral wealth, stimulate innovation, and build a resilient, knowledge-driven economy.
*Key Recommendations*
Adedosu urged the Federal Government to equip universities, national institutions, and research centres with modern analytical facilities to strengthen geochemical, geological, and geophysical investigations.
He called for intensified exploration of inland sedimentary basins through integrated basin modelling, molecular fingerprinting, and source-rock characterization. This, he said, would reduce exploration risks, turn uncertainty into opportunity, and attract responsible investment.
The Ibadan-born scholar emphasized that environmental geochemistry must become central to the petroleum value chain. He recommended baseline environmental assessments, continuous monitoring, early contamination detection, and effective remediation to safeguard ecosystems and ensure sustainable resource use.
On energy, Adedosu advocated integrating biomass conversion, biocatalyst development, and biofuel production into national planning. Such steps, he argued, would diversify energy sources, cut carbon emissions, stimulate rural economies, and create jobs.
He urged the government to create an enabling environment with sound policies, sustainable funding, and critical infrastructure so each geopolitical zone can develop its unique resource endowments. Equitable, coordinated investment across regions, he said, would drive diversification, reduce regional disparities, strengthen cohesion, boost revenue, and accelerate inclusive development.
“Nigeria possesses enormous untapped treasures extending far beyond crude oil deposits in the Niger Delta,” Adedosu said. “Scientific innovation and strategic investment in earth resource exploration remain critical to the country’s technological sovereignty and long-term prosperity.”
*Research, Mining, and Local Value Addition*
Adedosu said sustained investment in natural products research would catalyze drug discovery, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical innovation, driving diversification beyond crude oil.
He urged federal and state governments to work synergistically to develop solid mineral resources through coordinated policies that can accelerate industrial growth and position Nigeria as a major player in critical minerals for renewable energy, electronics, and aerospace.
National policy, he added, should prioritize local beneficiation of minerals before export to ensure value addition, create jobs, and reduce dependence on imported finished goods.
*Recommendations for LAUTECH*
Adedosu charged LAUTECH to develop a comprehensive 2026–2031 research strategy aligned with global benchmarks, focused on international collaboration, research visibility, and attracting world-class scholars.
He called for a fully functional Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office, IPTTO, to protect innovation, promote patenting, and accelerate commercialisation through structured industry partnerships.
He also urged the Federal Government, through TETFund, to establish at LAUTECH a Centre of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research and Sustainability to drive solution-oriented research in energy, environment, and sustainable development.
He recommended that LAUTECH be designated a priority university for TETFund-sponsored Master’s and PhD programmes, citing its consistent ranking among Nigeria’s leading universities and its status as a top state university of technology.
*Oyo State and Artisanal Mining*
Adedosu appealed to the Oyo State Government to partner LAUTECH on systemic geochemical characterisation and sustainable mining research in Oke-Ogun and other parts of the state.
By formalising artisanal mining through cooperatives, providing technical training, and ensuring environmentally responsible extraction, he said, hidden mineral resources could be harnessed for inclusive growth and improved livelihoods.
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*Profile: Prof. Taofik Adewale Adedosu*
Born on May 27, 1972, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Prof. Adedosu hails from the families of Late Chief Rauf Adegboyega Adedosu, Otun Baale of New Adamasingba, Okoro, Oke-Itunu, and Chief Mrs. Amina Mojisola Adedosu of Alagogo Compound, Oniyanrin.
He attended St. John Anglican Primary School, Ihunbo, Ogun State, and Community Primary School, Ijokodo, Ibadan, 1976–1982. He graduated from United Secondary School, Ijokodo, in 1987 as the best student and served as Library Prefect. He completed A-Level studies at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, 1988–1989.
At LAUTECH, he earned a http://B.Tech in Chemistry in 1997 with Second Class Upper Division, emerging as Best Graduating Student in Chemistry, Second Best in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, and among the university’s best overall for 1997/1998. He obtained his http://M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry, 2001, and Ph.D. in Organic Geochemistry, 2009, from the University of Ibadan.
*Academic Career and Leadership*
Adedosu joined LAUTECH as Graduate Assistant on February 23, 1999, and rose to Professor of Organic Geochemistry on October 1, 2015.
He has served as Examination Officer, 2010–2011; Chairman, LAUTECH Innovation Committee, 2018–2019; Director, Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery, 2019–2023; and Director, Centre for Research and Development, 2023–2024. He currently serves as Director, Centre for Academic Linkages and International Affairs; Chairman, University Ranking Advisory Committee; and Sustainable Development Desk Officer.
He is South-West Coordinator, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Nigeria Chapter, 2025–2027, and Pioneer Head, Department of Chemistry on sabbatical at the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho, FUNATO.
*International Exposure and Research*
Adedosu was a TWAS-CAS PhD Scholar at the State Key Laboratory of Gas Geochemistry, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Lanzhou, China, 2007–2008, and a Postdoctoral Scholar at the State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, 2012–2013.
He has published over 75 scholarly articles, attended more than 70 conferences, and presented at over 35 across Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, China, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Dubai. He has delivered 16 public lectures and produced a technical report for NOSDRA on Oil Fingerprinting Techniques.
His research has attracted over $26,000, €745, and more than ₦64 million in grants, including CAS-TWAS, TETFund, PACE, NOSDRA, PSCII, Innov8, APHRC, and University of Plymouth grants. He is Co-Researcher on two 2023 TETFund NRF projects worth ₦44.44 million and Principal Investigator of the 2024 TETFund IBR Grant of ₦4.96 million on _Pachira glabra_ seed oil for antiseptic soap and biodiesel.
*Mentorship and Publications*
He has supervised over 300 undergraduates, 12 http://M.Tech. students, and 5 Ph.D. candidates. He currently supervises 1 http://M.Tech. and 3 Ph.D. students.
His research interests include petroleum geochemistry, environmental geochemistry, renewable energy from biomass, eco-friendly remediation, natural product chemistry, and product development.
He contributed to _Aspects of the Petroleum Geology of Nigeria’s Frontier Basins_, 2021, and _Research Advances in Environment, Geography and Earth Science_, 2024, and was lead author of the first indigenous undergraduate textbook on _Fossil Fuel and Renewable Energy Sources_, 2026.
*External Roles and Service*
Adedosu was on sabbatical at Osun State University, 2011/2012. He has served as Visiting Professor, Professorial Assessor, and External Examiner to numerous institutions in Nigeria and abroad, including UNIOSUN, OAU, UNILORIN, Babcock, FUPRE, FUNAB, FUOYE, UNIABUJA, University of Fort Hare, and Cape Peninsula University, among others.
He reviews for reputable journals, serves as External Reviewer to South Africa’s NRF, and is a member of the EAGE–EAG Technical Community on Geochemistry.
He belongs to the Chemical Society of Nigeria, CSN; American Chemical Society; Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists, NAPE; Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, NMGS; American Association of Petroleum Geologists, AAPG; European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, EAGE; and The Society of Organic Petrology, TSOP. He became a CSN Fellow in 2019 and an Innovation Fellow for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers, i-FAIR, in 2024.
*Community and Awards*
He is a former President, Students’ Chemical Society of Nigeria, LAUTECH Chapter; Pioneer President, United Secondary School Old Students Association, ’87 Set; President, LAUTECH Muslim Graduates’ Association; Vice President, Academics, CSN Kwara Chapter, 2024–2026; and President, Oluyole Club, LAUTECH Chapter, 2022–2026.
He is on the EIA team for Quail Petroleum’s modular refinery in Akwa Ibom and serves as Soil and Water Analysis Expert for an Osun road project’s ESIA.
His awards include the Tugbiyelé Prize for Best Graduating Chemistry Student, 1997; LAUTECH Distinguished Alumni Award, 2019; and LAUTECH Alumni Award of Excellence in Academic and Innovation, 2025.
A devout Muslim, he is married to Mrs. Haleema Omolola Adedosu, née Obembe, and they are blessed with children.