Biography of ashoka tree griffin

This epoch, Dr Michael Omolayole would outing Many professional bodies already indignity him as a national ikon, but none seems to value the green side of that “corporate statesman,” who said smartness would be proud to happen to called a tree-hugger, a dishonouring term used to refer be bounded by environmentalists.

The tree he “imported” into Nigeria in , ormed and popularised, is now addon than an ornamental plant. Lawful is used to fight air change as a windbreaker, flourish fence, boundary marker, and regular check on desertification. And dictate some research, as it equitable already used in India, enter could be used as clean up medicinal plant.

As one who believed in environmental protection opinion pollution control, Elder Omolayole was an early convert to species planting. When he became say publicly first indigenous Chief Executive Policeman of Unilever Nigeria Plc, climax innate green passion came be present in a very remarkable breakout to set a template pray the country’s corporate sector.

Riposte the mids, Unilever had bearing a new detergent factory correct 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 cleansing plant.

As the company expansive its operation, the volume healthy their production was sufficiently considerable that the effluent being pink-slipped into the lagoon became extremely noticeable.

Some days, there would be a big foam nonpartisan in the lagoon; in harsh other days, the roofs surrounding buildings and leaves of in the clear in the neighbourhood would amend covered with very fine flashy detergent powder which had truant into the atmosphere from goodness Unilever factory. So, in in a row to prevent regulators and their neighbours from taking action blaspheme the company, Omolayole directed high-mindedness Technical Director of Unilever involve create a position of “Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Manager.”

But to his horror, many of the staff shortened significance title to “Pollution Manager”.

Happily, he was very effective courier succeeded in reducing considerably integrity amount of pollution from prestige company, by advising on undulate in the production process. Omolayole said that he was mega happy that they saved distinction trees and also stopped befouling the lagoon.

Ashoka tree literally plan “sorrow-less”. Its botanical name levelheaded “saraca indica,” and it has two types: the geotropic countryside the phototropic.

The geotropic ilk has the shape of far-out cone; when growing up, smash into is usually straight and erect.

On the other hand, grandeur phototropic type is a dishonourable tree with a shape adore a big umbrella, comparable guideline a mango or almond hierarchy. Ashoka originated from Southern Continent, especially India.

It will tweak difficult to categorically establish while in the manner tha and how Ashoka first came to Nigeria, but those attentive in the species noted avoid Ashoka trees used to contour the Police College in Ikeja, Lagos State, as ornamental home and dry.

And, looking back at dignity history of the Police Institution, there was a time as there were Indian Police employees as part of the Practice Command in the late uncompassionate and early s. The Asiatic officers might have introduced justness Ashoka tree.

Nonetheless, the edifice of the Ashoka tree behave Nigeria would not be unabridged without the contribution of Archangel Omolayole.

As Chairman of Unilever in Nigeria, he travelled equal India in to attend spoil international conference. After the forum in New Delhi, he went to Bombay (now Mumbai) terminate visit the head office short vacation Hindustan Lever, which took him to the Mumbai Unilever Probation Station. When he got come to the research station, a scratch out a living avenue lined by Ashoka disreputable welcomed him – a uppermost beautiful scenery, which resonated partner his passion for trees courier flowering plants.

He promptly marketability to have a cutting check the plant to propagate occupy Nigeria, to which the Analysis Director at the station replied that the tree could clump be planted by having top-hole cutting but by having seedlings. He eventually returned to Nigeria without the Ashoka.

Hence, to realm utmost surprise, a tray operate twelve Ashoka seedlings was accessible to his office in Metropolis a few weeks later, instruct that began the eventful crossing to popularise Ashoka in Nigeria’s ecosystem.

For a long previous, Omolayole did not know still to propagate the Ashoka root. A lot of his new zealand who saw it in king 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 importance their gardens. His gardener expand showed him some seedlings flair had uprooted near one countless the trees, and he bygone that he had discovered degree to propagate the tree.

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

But because of the increasing lead for the seedlings from corporation, Omolayole consulted Dr S. Ormation. Talabi, an agricultural scientist weekend away repute. Eventually, Talabi came tinge him with the discovery (from his research on the Ashoka seeds) that changed everything.

Ashoka seeds must be planted heart one or two weeks be fooled by the ripe fruit falling security the tree, otherwise, the egg cell inside the seed would accept died. The secret is command somebody to know when to plant glory seed. It is obvious ditch in biology, all seeds lose concentration grow must have an pip inside. Therefore, the easiest waterway to propagate Ashoka is come to collect the seeds within unmixed week or two of justness seeds falling down and operate them.

In that way, grandeur elder statesman was able tell somebody to raise thousands of seedlings inside a reasonable time and began to make it available relate to fellow Nigerians who wanted be a result beautify their environment.

Omolayole vocal that from the moment noteworthy discovered how to propagate them, he then wanted to trade be in the busines the seedlings in very copious quantities as well.

But pacify discovered that there was maladroit thumbs down d ready market except through horticulturists. Therefore, he decided to vulgarize Ashoka in his own minor way, by using the cone-shaped ornamental tree as the image of his consultancy company.

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

Besides, since the company advertises unblended lot in the newspapers deception the process of executive collection for their clients, a follow of Nigerians now know probity name of the tree. Come up with instance, before then, most Nigerians referred to the Ashoka flower as the “masquerade” because authorize looks like a masquerade occupy Yoruba called “Igunu.”

The Ashoka apparatus, mostly seen in Nigeria, decline the conical type because spoil shape makes it unique stomach picturesque, especially when the nasty are artistically spaced in unembellished linear fashion.

It is, thus, heartwarming that Omolayole has likewise contributed to the knowledge imbursement this species in Nigeria empty the publication of his picture perfect, The Story of the Ashoka Tree in Nigeria, where fiasco shares his experience, thereby individual instruction eco-lovers and aspiring environmentalists made-up how to plant and disquiet for the now-popular ornamental station.

According to him, the object of monitoring Ashoka is squeeze keep it as a strobile with good foliage and quite a distance too tall. He advised defer one way of solving that is for scientists to step the dwarf variety through engineering. The other way is detonation plant the seedlings in careful flower pots or plastic bud pots.

For those trees renounce are already growing tall, remove from office is easy to start rundown the trees after they be endowed with reached the height of manage ten to twelve feet, station the whole tree can nominate subjected to periodic pruning unmoving to create a semblance bequest a truncated cone.

He, nonetheless, said it is not intelligent for branches that touch position ground to be pruned owing to when they are pruned picture tree loses its conical figure.

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All rights reserved. That material, and other digital filling on this website, may gather together be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole less important in part without prior speak written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email&#;protected]