Egbewole commissions UNILORIN singeing stick
…..promises more support for innovation
By Abubakar Imam
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, last Monday (May 11, 2026) commissioned three different types of singeing stick invented by the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the Department Foundry.
Singeing stick is an innovation produced to aid the removal of wool from animal through careful burning.
Prof. Egbewole, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Technology and Innovation), Prof. Muhtar Adeiza Etudaiye, said that the innovation is a welcome development, particularly as the global Muslim community is preparing for the festival of sacrifice, where millions of various kinds of animals would be killed for human consumption.
He said that the material would be quite useful for domestic use as well as in the abattoirs because of its comparative advantages over other forms of achieving the same purpose.
He described the material as a great innovation as he stressed the importance of securing intellectual property rights over it.
While congratulating the Head of the Department as well as his staff and students on the innovation, Prof. Egbewole charged other Departments to ensure that their impacts are also felt by the University and the society through impactful innovations.
Prof. Egbewole assured the entire University community of the readiness of his Administration to always support every form of positive innovation, saying that one of the core duties of a University is production of materials that would address human needs.
Speaking earlier, the Head of the Research Team, Prof. I. I. Ahmed, said that the innovation is an improvement on a project submitted to the Department by one of its Master degree students.
He explained that three types of the stick are produced. He said that they are Portable Size, Medium Size and Blade Size, pointing out that the cost of each of them varies as they are designed for various classes of users.
Prof. Ahmed said that the innovation is good as the animals on which it is used would be safer for human consumption because it is toxic-free.
He added that it is also very fast, cost effective and flexible to use and can work on any surface no matter the level of its hydration.
Also speaking, the Director of the Centre for Labouratory to Product (LABTOP), University of Ilorin, Prof. Mohammed Jimoh Saka, commended the Department and the Research team for coming out with such a fantastic product.
Prof. Saka, who teaches at the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, assured the Department that his Office and the University would help to ensure that the product is exposed to the market.
The highlights of the event included the demonstration of the usage of the facility and presentation of samples of the product to both the Vice Chancellor and his representative.
The event attracted several dignitaries including the Head of the Department, Dr K. S. Ajao; the Head of the Department of Computer Engineering, Prof. A. T. Ajiboye, and the Deputy Director, Commercialisation, LABTOP, Dr Omolayo A. Omorinoye, among several others.
