From: Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Acting Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Ololade Enikuomehin, on Monday, said Nigeria had the capacity to achieve food sufficiency, if effective policy framework is put in place by government to harness and multiply various outcomes in agricultural researches.
Prof. Enikuomehin made this known, in Abeokuta, at a press conference, heralding the university’s 23rd, 24th and 25th combined convocation ceremony, held at the institution’s Senate Chamber.
Enikuomehin, who observed that though Nigeria has thd capacity to feed itself, maintained that the absence of a link between agricultural research breakthroughs and readiness by the government to make them available to the populace would continue to make the country a major importer of food items.
He lamented that despite the fact that FUNAAB has several innovations in crop and animal production to its credit, the inability of government to harness and link research with extension, had been affecting massive food production.
He added that the research breakthroughs the university achieved in quality rice production named ‘FUNAABA 1’ and chicken variety called ‘FUNAAB Alpha’, were still waiting to be taken up, multiplied and made available to the populace by the government.
He, therefore, said the institution would continue to conduct important researches in agriculture and tasked the government on the need to create enabling environment for private investors to partner in harnessing outcomes of agricultural researches to ensure food sufficiency in Nigeria.
Enikuomehin, who applauded the recent decision by the federal government to relocate FUNAAB back to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources as the supervising ministry, also called on the FG to inaugurate Agricultural University Coordinating Agency (AUCA), recently established, to further enhance the effective operation of federal universities of agriculture in Nigeria.
Expatiating on the combined convocation ceremony, scheduled to hold on Saturday, the acting vice chancellor said a total number of 7,677 students under the full time programme, would be graduating, while a total of 286 students would be graduating under part-time programme of the institution.
He added that 1,442 post graduate students would also graduate, while 203 would be graduating with First Class honours.