By Archibong Emmanuel
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – A Professor of Physical and Materials Chemistry in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Peter Chukwuma Okafor, has revealed that his research efforts are focused on understanding the mechanism, inhibition and modelling of corrosion processes and environmental pollution as it relates to corrosion.
Prof Okafor made the assertion at the 150th inaugural lecture with the Topic: “Taming the Silent Destroyer, Harnessing Sustainability To Combat Corrosion,” held on Monday, 17th November 2025, at the Godswill Akpabio International Conference Centre, University of Calabar.
He posits that any environment that contains electrolytes and a medium that permits electrochemical reactions to occur on a metal surface thereby enabling corrosion in a corrosion environment, stressing that by understanding how the environment and metal properties influence corrosion, we can develop effective strategies to manage and prevent corrosion since corrosion cannot be stopped but its scope and severity can be controlled.
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“It is often not possible to assign a single, universal mechanism to an inhibitor, as the mechanism may change with experimental conditions,” he said.
Dignitaries at the occasion include Prof Florence Banku Obi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Calabar and principal officers of the University.
Prof. Peter Okafor used the occasion to celebrate his birthday anniversary.
