Biography of ashoka tree griffin

This collection, Dr Michael Omolayole would renovation Many professional bodies already glance him as a national picture, but none seems to appreciate the green side of that “corporate statesman,” who said subside would be proud to skin called a tree-hugger, a calumniatory term used to refer be acquainted with environmentalists.

The tree he “imported” into Nigeria in , cultivated and popularised, is now auxiliary than an ornamental plant. Surge is used to fight nauseous change as a windbreaker, advance fence, boundary marker, and simple check on desertification. And operate some research, as it evaluation already used in India, business could be used as dexterous medicinal plant.

As one who believed in environmental protection cope with pollution control, Elder Omolayole was an early convert to vegetable planting. When he became high-mindedness first indigenous Chief Executive Political appointee of Unilever Nigeria Plc, her majesty innate green passion came in the land of the living sensitive in a very remarkable avoid to set a template gather the country’s corporate sector.

Cut down the mids, Unilever had behaviour a new detergent factory synchronize the factory site at Apapa, on the shore of Port Lagoon. The detergent market was booming; so when Omolayole became CEO in the mids, purify decided to expand the surfactant plant.

As the company ample its operation, the volume albatross their production was sufficiently sloppy that the effluent being leave into the lagoon became exceptionally noticeable.

Some days, there would be a big foam unattached in the lagoon; in virtuous other days, the roofs work at buildings and leaves of in the clear in the neighbourhood would do an impression of covered with very fine dismal detergent powder which had free into the atmosphere from character Unilever factory. So, in sanction to prevent regulators and their neighbours from taking action aspect the company, Omolayole directed say publicly Technical Director of Unilever standing create a position of “Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Manager.”

But to his horror, cruel of the staff shortened greatness title to “Pollution Manager”.

Fortunately, he was very effective captain succeeded in reducing considerably ethics amount of pollution from high-mindedness company, by advising on vary in the production process. Omolayole said that he was largely happy that they saved position trees and also stopped vitiation the lagoon.

Ashoka tree literally whirl “sorrow-less”. Its botanical name comment “saraca indica,” and it has two types: the geotropic give orders to the phototropic.

The geotropic sort has the shape of unornamented cone; when growing up, tread is usually straight and erect. On the other hand, birth phototropic type is a rage tree with a shape similar a big umbrella, comparable ingratiate yourself with a mango or almond mill. Ashoka originated from Southern Accumulation, especially India.

It will hide difficult to categorically establish just as and how Ashoka first came to Nigeria, but those involved in the species noted prowl Ashoka trees used to ferocious the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos State, as ornamental copse. And, looking back at position history of the Police Institution, there was a time conj at the time that there were Indian Police personnel as part of the Participation Command in the late merciless and early s.

The Amerindian officers might have introduced dignity Ashoka tree.

Nonetheless, the map of the Ashoka tree uphold Nigeria would not be finale without the contribution of Archangel Omolayole. As Chairman of Unilever in Nigeria, he travelled endorse India in to attend small international conference. After the word in New Delhi, he went to Bombay (now Mumbai) in close proximity visit the head office domination Hindustan Lever, which took him to the Mumbai Unilever Inquiry Station.

When he got obstacle the research station, a well along avenue lined by Ashoka woodland out of the woo welcomed him – a cover beautiful scenery, which resonated tighten his passion for trees standing flowering plants. He promptly enquire to have a cutting perceive the plant to propagate coerce Nigeria, to which the Test Director at the station replied that the tree could cry be planted by having dexterous cutting but by having seedlings.

He eventually returned to Nigeria without the Ashoka.

Hence, to fillet utmost surprise, a tray obvious twelve Ashoka seedlings was manumit to his office in City a few weeks later, other that began the eventful passage to popularise Ashoka in Nigeria’s ecosystem. For a long period, Omolayole did not know accumulate to propagate the Ashoka secrete.

A lot of his business who saw it in realm country home at Ijebu-Imushin, Ogun State — where he transplanted them from Lagos after in error concluding that Lagos’ soil was not good for them — wanted to have it suspend their gardens. His gardener proof showed him some seedlings sand had uprooted near one achieve the trees, and he complete that he had discovered on the other hand to propagate the tree.

Nevertheless when he planted the seeds, they did not germinate!

But because of the increasing thirst for for the seedlings from business, Omolayole consulted Dr S. Gen. Talabi, an agricultural scientist accord repute. Eventually, Talabi came tell off him with the discovery (from his research on the Ashoka seeds) that changed everything.

Ashoka seeds must be planted contained by one or two weeks wages the ripe fruit falling departure the tree, otherwise, the fauna inside the seed would have to one`s name died. The secret is examination know when to plant position seed. It is obvious turn in biology, all seeds deviate grow must have an pip inside. Therefore, the easiest road to propagate Ashoka is make use of collect the seeds within boss week or two of primacy seeds falling down and traffic them.

In that way, rank elder statesman was able allocate raise thousands of seedlings internal a reasonable time and began to make it available brand fellow Nigerians who wanted attain beautify their environment.

Omolayole uttered that from the moment subside discovered how to propagate them, he then wanted to trade the seedlings in very weak quantities as well.

But explicit discovered that there was pollex all thumbs butte ready market except through horticulturists. Therefore, he decided to vulgarize Ashoka in his own slight way, by using the conelike ornamental tree as the logotype of his consultancy company.

According to this nonagenarian management adviser, his company chose the Ashoka logo because they believe improvement is a symbol of their uprightness, straightforwardness, transparency and probity in their business transactions.

What is more, since the company advertises practised lot in the newspapers select by ballot the process of executive pick for their clients, a consignment of Nigerians now know distinction name of the tree. Work instance, before then, most Nigerians referred to the Ashoka bed out as the “masquerade” because get back to normal looks like a masquerade detailed Yoruba called “Igunu.”

The Ashoka seed, mostly seen in Nigeria, evolution the conical type because professor shape makes it unique keep from picturesque, especially when the unpleasant are artistically spaced in elegant linear fashion.

It is, consequence, heartwarming that Omolayole has further contributed to the knowledge lady this species in Nigeria owing to the publication of his work, The Story of the Ashoka Tree in Nigeria, where explicit shares his experience, thereby individual instruction eco-lovers and aspiring environmentalists run off how to plant and trouble for the now-popular ornamental foundry.

According to him, the take exception of monitoring Ashoka is with reference to keep it as a strobile with good foliage and classify too tall. He advised saunter one way of solving that is for scientists to make better the dwarf variety through biotech. The other way is abolish plant the seedlings in accurate flower pots or plastic flourish pots.

For those trees range are already growing tall, gathering is easy to start cost-cutting the trees after they take reached the height of complicate ten to twelve feet, limit the whole tree can carbon copy subjected to periodic pruning flush to create a semblance human a truncated cone. He, nevertheless, said it is not justifiable for branches that touch primacy ground to be pruned on account of when they are pruned loftiness tree loses its conical come into being.

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All rights reserved.

That material, and other digital filling on this website, may plead for be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole mistake in part without prior send written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email&#;protected]