In a deeply insightful presentation, Professor Mary Odukoya on Wednesday, July 21, 2025, delivered the 18th Inaugural Lecture of the 2024/2025 Academic Session at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), drawing a compelling link between the earth beneath our feet and the health within our bodies.
Titled “Doctor of Rocks: Unveiling the Hidden Connections between Geology and Human Health”, the lecture explored the profound impact of geological processes on public health, particularly in the face of mounting environmental challenges such as artisanal gold mining, groundwater contamination, urban pollution, and nutrient-deficient soils.
Professor Odukoya, a seasoned expert in environmental geochemistry, painted a stark picture of the consequences of unchecked mineral extraction and pollution. She drew attention to the rampant use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, a practice that has severely polluted water bodies and farmlands, endangering not just miners but entire communities.
Her data-rich presentation revealed the devastating health implications, including cancer and neurological disorders, which result from exposure to toxic elements like lead, arsenic, and mercury.
Professor Odukoya was not merely diagnostic with her lecture, she was prescriptive. She proposed a forward-looking framework that includes the implementation of a national geochemical mapping, stronger environmental regulations, increased investment in well-funded laboratories with advanced equipment, and widespread public awareness campaigns to enlighten the people.
According to her, “these strategies are essential not just for protecting human health, but also for ensuring long-term food security.”
She also spotlighted the growing crisis of micronutrient deficiencies in soils and food systems, warning that they pose a silent but significant threat to human health. To combat this, she advocated for sustainable agricultural practices, soil fortification efforts, and targeted nutrition initiatives, all key interventions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
Calling for urgent interdisciplinary collaboration and data-driven policymaking, Professor Odukoya urged government agencies, health institutions, and economic planners to take decisive steps in bridging the gap between geology and health.
With her ground-breaking insights, Professor Odukoya’s lecture serves not just as an academic milestone, but as a powerful call to action, where science meets policy and the earth meets human well-being.
About Professor Mary Odukoya
Professor Abiodun Mary Odukoya was born on January 2, 1972 into the family of Late Pa. Samuel Lekan Akindeji and Mrs Alice Olukemi Akindeji of Babasale Oke Ofa Compound in Ibadan, Oyo State. She attended Ibadan City Academy (1983-1988), where she served as Head Girl, and thereafter proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where she earned her B.Sc. in Geology (1993), M.Sc. in Mineral Exploration and Applied Geochemistry (1998) and Ph.D. in Geology (Applied Geochemistry) in 2007.
She started her career as an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State in 1999, rising to the position of Lecturer I in 2006. She later joined the services of the University of Lagos in 2009 as a founding member of the Department of Geosciences. She has had a flourishing career at UNILAG, rising through the ranks to become a Senior Lecturer in 2012, Associate Professor in 2016 and ultimately a Professor in 2019.
Beyond academia, Prof. Odukoya has been pivotal in institutional governance, serving as member of many committees such as the Editorial Board, University of Lagos Journal of Medicine, Science and Technology (2019-2021), Faculty of Science Examination Malpractice Committee (2018-2021), Admission Committee, School of Postgraduate Studies (2018-2019), Board of School of Postgraduate Studies (2010-2016, 2018-2019), Faculty of Science Research Committee (2012-2016) and Coordinator of the Master of Applied Geophysics programme (2009-2016) to mention a few. She became a member of the University of Lagos Senate in 2019 and currently serves on its Ceremonies Committee and a Board Member of the Institute of Maritime Studies (2023-2025).
Prof. Odukoya has broken many ceilings in her career. In 2019, she became the first female Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Lagos. In 2021, she was appointed the first female Head of the Department of Geosciences and served meritoriously in that position until 2024, when she was appointed the first female Director of the Institute of Maritime Studies, a position she occupies till date. She is the first female Chairman of the International Medical Geologists Association (Nigerian Branch) from 2021 to date.
Prof. Odukoya is an internationally recognised Environmental Geochemist and Medical Geologist with over 50 publications in high-impact journals. As part of her community service, she has provided expert consultancy services to national and international organisations, including the World Bank on its Geochemical Mapping of Mineralised Targets project, designed to attract mining investments and boost Nigeria’s economy, and to the UNIDO on the National Action Plan for Mercury Reduction in Small-Scale Gold Mining, an initiative executed in collaboration with Nigeria’s Federal Ministries of Environment, Health, and Solid Minerals. Her research excellence has earned her prestigious fellowships and awards, including the Professional Commonwealth Fellowship (2024), the Royal Society of Chemistry Award (2022), and the UNESCO-ANESI Fellowship for Outstanding Women Geoscientists in Africa (2017). She has secured high-profile research grants, including funding from the State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry (China), (2024–Present), the Maria Nathanson / IAMGOLD Corporation Fund, Queens University (Canada), (2023–Present) and Central Research Committee (CRC) grant, UNILAG.
Professor Odukoya has successfully supervised two PhD graduates and is currently mentoring five doctoral candidates (four are women). She has supervised over 100 masters and undergraduate research projects. She has been an External Examiner for several universities, including: the University of Johannesburg; University of Jos; Federal University of Technology, Akure ; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye; and the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti. She has delivered keynote addresses and presented papers in high-profile conferences and symposia worldwide, visiting over 20 countries across many continents. She is a Fellow and Council Member of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) and an immediate past Board Member of the Council of Mining Engineers and Geosciences (COMEG). She currently serves as Chairman of the Distinguished Lectureship Programme of the NMGS and Secretary of Women in Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society.
Professor Odukoya is a devoted Deaconess at Winners Chapel, a passionate advocate for women in Science, and a committed mentor dedicated to inspiring the next generation of geoscientists. She is happily married with lovely children.
She is the first female Professor of Geology to deliver an inaugural lecture at any Nigerian university, cementing her legacy as a pioneering figure in her field.
Report: Isaiah Kumuyi
Photography: Michael Joshua
