The Vice Chancellor, Federal College of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, has disclosed that the College’s mandate was to not feed the nation, however to equip college students with the data and expertise to contribute meaningfully to the agricultural sector.
His stance is approaching the heels of excessive expectations from Nigerians and supposed disappointment by many who the agriculture establishment isn’t leaving to expectation in meals manufacturing, within the face of the present meals disaster affecting the nation.
The Vice Chancellor, who made the clarification through the 2024 yearly colloquium of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State chapter held on the June 12, Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, famous that the establishment lately achieved a feat because the Greatest College of Agriculture in Africa and the seventh finest globally, including that it additionally got here first in Nigeria within the United Nations Sustainable Improvement Purpose (SDG2) – “Zero Starvation.”
Whereas talking on the theme: “Galvanising Public and Personal Stakeholders Towards Addressing Meals Disaster in Nigeria: Public Relations as Key Driver,” Prof. Kehinde, who counseled NIPR for holding the dialog on meals safety on the forefront of public dialogue, referred to as for a united effort to beat the obstacles hindering Nigeria’s progress in reaching the United Nations’ SDGs, significantly in eradicating starvation and guaranteeing meals safety.
He stated addressing meals insecurity in Nigeria requires collective accountability, noting the necessity for synergy between academia, authorities, and personal industries, facilitated by strategic Public Relations, to safe Nigeria’s agricultural future.
Prof. Kehinde underscored the crucial position of public relations and the media in fostering collaboration and driving engagement between the private and non-private sectors to fight the meals disaster.
He burdened FUNAAB’s management position in that space, citing the college’s current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nourished Selection Meals Ltd., a partnership geared toward decreasing meals prices and boosting meals manufacturing and distribution.
The vice chancellor stated beneath his management, FUNAAB has continued to strengthen its world status for educational excellence and agricultural innovation.
He additionally highlighted a few of the College’s key agricultural milestones, together with the continued harvest of a two-hectare tomato farm managed by college students beneath the Centre for Neighborhood-Primarily based Farming Scheme (COBFAS), the 22-hectare Cassava Bio-Ethanol Farm, and the completion of a nine-hectare maize farm venture in partnership with NOLAP. The achievements, he famous, mirrored FUNAAB’s dedication to addressing meals insecurity by means of modern analysis and collaborative ventures.
