Bamidele Eleniola
SEAP Model Farms (SMF), Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has rewarded students of Faculty of Agriculture, Institute of Part-Time, Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Ekiti State, Nigeria with#360, 000 for showing interest in agric-business.
FUOYE VC, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina
The students, who were on Farm Practical Year’s visit to the farm was received by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Oladokun Olatunde.
While receiving the students, who were led by their Coordinator, Dr. Opeyemi Tunde Osundare, SMF CEO tasked them on how to transform Nigeria’s space with agric-business with a view to boosting food production.
The students in the Faculty of Agriculture, Federal University Oye-Ekiti have again demonstrated moral values and academic excellence at SEAP Model Farm at Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
FUOYE Students
Dr. Oladokun, who was overwhelmed on when the Farm Practical Year students of the Faculty of Agriculture, Institute of Part-Time Programmes visited the Farm on a field trip, said he was always happy to see students’ interest in agriculture.
He, however, stimulated them with a cash reward of ₦360,000 while pleading with them to team up with him to boost food production and transform Africa through agric-business.
“Please, don’t join the JAPA syndrome set of Nigerians,” he enthused.
Besides, the CEO of SEAP Model Farms expressed satisfaction at the students’ exhibited passion, inquisitiveness, modern ideas and solutions to identified problems observed during the hands-on session of the trip from the students of FUOYE during their visit to the Farm for the FPY Field trip and concluded that there was indeed hope for agric-business in Nigeria, nay Africa.
He, however, eulogized FUOYE Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina for his efforts of grooming students in agriculture, describing it as lofty goals.
CEO SEAP Farm, Ilorin
Speaking at the event, the Farm Practical Year students’ Coordinator (IPTS), Dr. O.T. Osundare said “this visit aimed to expose the students to various entrepreneurial skills, preparing them for self-reliance after graduation and contributing to the economic development of the country.”
Accordingly, he said the students were engaged in hands-on activities related to agricultural produce value addition, animal feed production, bakery, meat processing and storage, poultry and snailery, among others.
Dr. Osundare went on: “As the ministries and government agencies can no longer accommodate every graduate at various levels despite their excellent performance hence students of this great university are being exposed to entrepreneurship skills that would help them in the future.”
In a chat with FUOYENews, Dr. Osundare said “the students were grouped into four (A-D) in order to facilitate hands-on experience in all the sections of the Farm.
The Farm Practical Year students’ Coordinator (IPTS)Dr. Opeyemi Tunde Osundare
“The Farm Director, Ms. Mariam was given the opportunity by the coordinator (Dr. O.T. Osundare) to assess the students after the tour in their various groups).
“In her results, all the groups performed excellently but Group D had the highest score.
“I want to commend and appreciate the support of the university management ably led by Prof. Abayomi Sunday Fasina in carrying out this assignment.”
Meanwhile, FUOYENews gathered that the Field Trip as a course is a requisite in the Farm Practical Year (FPY) curriculum for students to undertake and pass before proceeding to the 500 level.
The SEAP Model Farms was chosen to expose the students to different entrepreneurial skills, hence spurring self-reliance after graduation and contributing to the economic development of the country.
