Professor Andrew Oke-Ovie Akala of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Department of Physics, Nigeria, delivered the university’s 469th Inaugural Lecture on 4 November, titled “Sun-Earth Connection: The Gains and the Pains to Humanity”.
In the first lecture of the 2026/2027 session, he explained that the Sun is Earth’s main source of energy, but that ultraviolet radiation and the solar wind also affect the atmosphere, the magnetic field and the technologies we use.
Akala urged Nigeria and other African countries to invest more in research, specialised education and real-time monitoring systems to reduce the risks of solar activity and harness its benefits.
