The Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council, LASRIC has awarded two researchers from Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, led by a Ph.D. student in project management Blessing Nwatulegwu, a five million naira (N5,000,000) research grant for their study on “The Development and Production of Bio-Plastic from Sargassum Seaweed towards Circular Economy in Nigeria.”

The team, which had another Ph.D student, Michael Fagbohun, was supervised by a Professor of Project Management, Prof. Ibrahim Olateju.

On what informed the research interest in Sargassum, Nwatulegwu noted that:” Nigeria is at risk with thousands of non-degradable waste plastics being dumped around yearly worsening land pollution, a problem we believed can be solved by producing plastics from Sargassum Seaweed, which is degradable, instead of from petroleum products.

“Presenting the cheque of N5,000,000 to LASU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, on behalf of the team, on Wednesday, Distinguished Professor of the University and former Director, Centre of Excellence for Sargassum Research, Prof. Martin Anetekhai, thanked the University Management for empowering and equipping the centre of excellence for sargassum research to support such a multidisciplinary research effort that won the grant. He revealed that the Centre was also currently working on several multidisciplinary research on the sargassum value chain.

“While receiving the awardees and the Sargassum team during the visit, the VC represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Adenike Boyo, congratulated the winners for making the university proud. She assured them that the administration would continue to provide the enabling environment and infrastructure to pursue more research and collaboration in future.”