Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City 

Nigeria and Africa must return to the use of clay vessels for cooking, eating and drinking if the continent is to tackle rising public health challenges and reduce billions spent on disease treatment, said Professor Emmanuel Eghe Egbon, of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

Delivering the 134th Inaugural Lecture of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, Prof. Egbon, a scholar of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, urged Nigerians to embrace clay as a multifunctional earth material that promotes healthier living and sustainable communities.

The lecture titled, ‘Drinking and Eating with Clay Vessels, Renewed Hope: Dynamics of Multifunctional Earth Material’, Egbon stressed that water stored in clay pots contains up to 200 times more oxygen than bottled water, which he described as “dead water” due to plastic storage and processing.

“Drinking from earthen vessels improves digestion, prevents sunstroke, treats sore throats, and enhances metabolism,” he said, adding that clay also detoxifies the body, clears acne, regenerates skin tissue, reduces blemishes, prevents blackheads, and brightens the skin.

According to him, using clay pots eliminates the need for artificial supplements as it helps prevent many diseases plaguing society. He argued that a global dependence on plastic has deepened health hazards, stressing that clay offers a natural, low-cost alternative.

Beyond lifestyle choices, Egbon called for a review of Nigeria’s Chemistry curriculum, recommending a 60 per cent focus on practicals and 40 per cent on applied chemistry, to enable students unlock the potentials of multifunctional earth materials for national development.

The highpoint of the lecture was the official decoration of the Inaugural Lecturer with the university’s medal by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel, who described Egbon’s research as groundbreaking.

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