FG, UNILORIN collaborate on agriculture

The Federal Government has indicated its readiness to collaborate with the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) to maximise the part of the university’s 15,000 hectares of landmass for agricultural purposes.

Mohammed Brimah, special adviser to the President on Job Creation and Youth Employment, disclosed this recently during the commissioning of the N-Power Business Ventures Farm at UNILORIN.

Brimah describe the N-Power Business Ventures Farm as impressive and one of the most successful social investment programmes (SIP) of the Federal Government.

He said the Federal Government was hopeful that the N-Power programme would inspire the kind of initiative that had emanated from N-Power beneficiaries who have taken the initiative to collaborate with the University of Ilorin.

“We are now moving to the promised land. Plans are in place to implement pending SIP and also commence State level SIPs,” he said.

While elaborating on the N-Power programme,  the University of Ilorin alumnus said that,  “What we are doing here today serves as a typical example of what the Federal Government set up to achieve by running Social Investment Programmes in our country”.

“We currently have over 520,000 N-Power youth across the country selected on an online platform. Their identities are authenticated through their BVN and bank details (submitted online) by NIBSS.

“The programme was initially designed to run for two years, after which the beneficiaries will exit the programme.

“It is expected that within the period of volunteering, you will have developed adequate skills, have access to finance, gathered relevant experience and also developed strong work ethics. There are various opportunities for N-Power volunteers to exit into permanent employment programmes,” he noted.

In his address, Abdulkareem Age, professor of Engineering and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, who was represented by Mikhail Buhari, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, noted that the university decided to key into the agricultural policy of the President by making further use of its land for agricultural purposes, given that only 1,200 hectares were utilised over the last 40 years.

Abdulkareem disclosed that the university had entered into partnership with two different agricultural industries, which will make use of a total of about 12 hectares.

He explained that the University management had tackled the violation of the University Research Farm and other parts of the University campus by herdsmen through the provision of infrastructure such as schools and homes for the herders, some kilometres away from the core academic activities at the University.

In his remarks, Olusegun Adeyemi, head of the Kwara State Office of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), who is also an alumnus of the University, urged the University management to take the partnership further by providing farm settlements for the N-Power farmers operating on the University Campus.

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin