CALABAR – In a rare departure from conventional academic discourse, a University of Calabar professor has employed Nigerian pidgin English – “Chop, Remain, E Get Why” – to frame the complex tension between human consumption and environmental conservation, making the sustainability crisis accessible to ordinary Nigerians NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
Delivering the 161st Inaugural Lecture of the university on Wednesday, 20th May 2026, Professor Elizabeth Andrew-Essien of the Department of Environmental Management explained that the pidgin phrase captures the philosophical essence of resource utilisation and preservation for both present and future generations.
“The theme of this lecture is captured using the Nigerian pidgin: ‘Chop, Remain, E Get Why.’ This phrase is rooted in a common expression to give a wide essence to the philosophical context of resource utilization and conservation for both present and future generations,” she told an audience that included the Vice‑Chancellor, members of Senate, and invited guests.
The professor, who specialises in natural resource development and conservation, broke down the phrase into three core concepts.
She said “Chop” reflects necessary human consumption – the biologically embedded use of natural resources for survival, reproduction, and development. However, she warned that consumption becomes problematic “when this necessary use is displaced by socially produced desires, namely when acquisition, display, and waste are pursued as ends in themselves, decoupled from survival and mediated by market logics, status competition, and engineered obsolescence.”
“Detached from the responsibility to ‘remain’ within ecological limits, consumerism becomes a central driver of environmental degradation and decline in quality of life,” she added.
The second element, “Remain,” represents the imperative to sustain life and ensure that natural resources are preserved for generations yet unborn. The third, “E Get Why” – meaning “there is a reason” – serves as a metaphor to resolve the dilemmas plaguing the natural environment, which are rooted in the tension between consumerism and conservation.
“Today, I invite you to journey with me into a conversation that is as typically Nigerian as it is global, as ancient as it is present,” Professor Andrew-Essien said.
She argued that environmental problems are collective‑action problems requiring cooperation, trust, and shared accountability. Rather than equating progress with material accumulation, she called on societies to prioritise well‑being, resilience, and ecological integrity.
The lecture, which was the first inaugural lecture from the Department of Environmental Management and only the fourth from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, drew on systems theory and ecological economics to examine the relationship between human consumption and environmental sustainability.
Professor Andrew‑Essien concluded with a memorable summary in the same pidgin‑inspired tone: “For indeed, we must ‘chop’ with wisdom, ensure that resources ‘remain’ for generations yet unborn. ‘E get why’ sustainability matters; for we do not secure the future by consuming more, but by preserving wisely.”
