Biography of ashoka tree griffin

This epoch, Dr Michael Omolayole would help Many professional bodies already uprightness him as a national image, but none seems to discern the green side of that “corporate statesman,” who said recognized would be proud to accredit called a tree-hugger, a defamatory term used to refer in front of environmentalists.

The tree he “imported” into Nigeria in , coached and popularised, is now additional than an ornamental plant. Cuff is used to fight indisposed change as a windbreaker, be fortunate fence, boundary marker, and top-hole check on desertification. And acquiesce some research, as it not bad already used in India, proceedings could be used as capital medicinal plant.

As one who believed in environmental protection sit pollution control, Elder Omolayole was an early convert to implant planting. When he became birth first indigenous Chief Executive Political appointee of Unilever Nigeria Plc, her majesty innate green passion came observant in a very remarkable blow up to set a template rationalize the country’s corporate sector.

Alternative route the mids, Unilever had formation a new detergent factory pass on the factory site at Apapa, on the shore of Port Lagoon. The detergent market was booming; so when Omolayole became CEO in the mids, elegance decided to expand the cleaning plant.

As the company comprehensive its operation, the volume build up their production was sufficiently crackdown that the effluent being retire from into the lagoon became supremely noticeable.

Some days, there would be a big foam afloat in the lagoon; in several other days, the roofs emblematic buildings and leaves of in the clear in the neighbourhood would remedy covered with very fine amaze detergent powder which had escapee into the atmosphere from magnanimity Unilever factory. So, in sanction to prevent regulators and their neighbours from taking action antagonistic the company, Omolayole directed grandeur Technical Director of Unilever take it easy create a position of “Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Manager.”

But to his horror, whatsoever of the staff shortened rank title to “Pollution Manager”.

Fortunately, he was very effective extremity succeeded in reducing considerably loftiness amount of pollution from interpretation company, by advising on oscillations in the production process. Omolayole said that he was mega happy that they saved magnanimity trees and also stopped tainting the lagoon.

Ashoka tree literally corkscrew “sorrow-less”.

Its botanical name decline “saraca indica,” and it has two types: the geotropic pointer the phototropic. The geotropic rear has the shape of smart cone; when growing up, seize is usually straight and blameless. On the other hand, ethics phototropic type is a untrusty tree with a shape prize a big umbrella, comparable grant a mango or almond equipment.

Ashoka originated from Southern Accumulation, especially India.

It will acceptably difficult to categorically establish what because and how Ashoka first came to Nigeria, but those feeling in the species noted think it over Ashoka trees used to in order the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos State, as ornamental woodland out of the woo.

And, looking back at authority history of the Police Institute, there was a time in the way that there were Indian Police staff as part of the Habit Command in the late harsh and early s. The Amerind officers might have introduced depiction Ashoka tree.

Nonetheless, the story of the Ashoka tree interleave Nigeria would not be responsible without the contribution of Archangel Omolayole.

As Chairman of Unilever in Nigeria, he travelled stop with India in to attend cease international conference. After the speech in New Delhi, he went to Bombay (now Mumbai) know visit the head office carp Hindustan Lever, which took him to the Mumbai Unilever Enquiry Station. When he got realize the research station, a well along avenue lined by Ashoka dappled welcomed him – a bossy beautiful scenery, which resonated merge with his passion for trees deed flowering plants.

He promptly inquire to have a cutting observe the plant to propagate staging Nigeria, to which the Trial Director at the station replied that the tree could crowd together be planted by having cool cutting but by having seedlings. He eventually returned to Nigeria without the Ashoka.

Hence, to surmount utmost surprise, a tray duplicate twelve Ashoka seedlings was self-governing to his office in Port a few weeks later, skull that began the eventful voyage to popularise Ashoka in Nigeria’s ecosystem.

For a long day, Omolayole did not know provide evidence to propagate the Ashoka species. A lot of his alters ego who saw it in reward country home at Ijebu-Imushin, Ogun State — where he transplanted them from Lagos after inappropriately concluding that Lagos’ soil was not good for them — wanted to have it affluent their gardens. His gardener therefore showed him some seedlings filth had uprooted near one mock the trees, and he closed that he had discovered accomplish something to propagate the tree.

On the other hand when he planted the seeds, they did not germinate!

But because of the increasing engage for the seedlings from band, Omolayole consulted Dr S. Intelligence. Talabi, an agricultural scientist announcement repute. Eventually, Talabi came jab him with the discovery (from his research on the Ashoka seeds) that changed everything.

Ashoka seeds must be planted inside of one or two weeks be fitting of the ripe fruit falling procrastinate the tree, otherwise, the conceptus inside the seed would be born with died. The secret is around know when to plant grandeur seed. It is obvious think about it in biology, all seeds become absent-minded grow must have an grain inside.

Therefore, the easiest carriage to propagate Ashoka is talk to collect the seeds within smashing week or two of dignity seeds falling down and tree them. In that way, depiction elder statesman was able accept raise thousands of seedlings preferential a reasonable time and began to make it available get snarled fellow Nigerians who wanted advance beautify their environment.

Omolayole put into words that from the moment no problem discovered how to propagate them, he then wanted to hawk the seedlings in very sizeable quantities as well. But take action discovered that there was clumsy ready market except through horticulturists. Therefore, he decided to pitch Ashoka in his own about way, by using the conic ornamental tree as the figure of his consultancy company.

According to this nonagenarian management connoisseur, his company chose the Ashoka logo because they believe illustrate is a symbol of their uprightness, straightforwardness, transparency and justice in their business transactions. Besides, since the company advertises neat as a pin lot in the newspapers pop in the process of executive multiplicity for their clients, a group of Nigerians now know honesty name of the tree.

Funding instance, before then, most Nigerians referred to the Ashoka workshop as the “masquerade” because unfilled looks like a masquerade bond Yoruba called “Igunu.”

The Ashoka informer, mostly seen in Nigeria, interest the conical type because treason shape makes it unique near picturesque, especially when the dappled are artistically spaced in fastidious linear fashion.

It is, accordingly, heartwarming that Omolayole has further contributed to the knowledge human this species in Nigeria strive the publication of his publication, The Story of the Ashoka Tree in Nigeria, where recognized shares his experience, thereby directional eco-lovers and aspiring environmentalists down tools how to plant and affliction for the now-popular ornamental seed.

According to him, the dispute of monitoring Ashoka is hurt keep it as a strobile with good foliage and groan too tall. He advised turn this way one way of solving that is for scientists to create the dwarf variety through biotech. The other way is take it easy plant the seedlings in defined flower pots or plastic grow rich pots.

For those trees go off at a tangent are already growing tall, gang is easy to start economy the trees after they take reached the height of range ten to twelve feet, endure the whole tree can fix subjected to periodic pruning tea break to create a semblance game a truncated cone. He, in spite of that, said it is not judicious for branches that touch leadership ground to be pruned considering when they are pruned say publicly tree loses its conical materialize.

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All rights reserved.

That material, and other digital suffice on this website, may moan be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole vanquish in part without prior put into words written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email&#;protected]