FG allocates N10bn for commercial agriculture in 10 varsities
The Federal Government has earmarked N10bn to commence commercial agricultural activities in 10 Nigerian universities.
The initiative is to boost agricultural research and food security in the country.
The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, disclosed this on Thursday, during the inauguration of the Agricultural and BIOS systems engineering building constructed by TETFund in Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, using the 2023 annual intervention.
The ceremony was part of the activities marking the university’s 26th to 31st combined convocation ceremonies.
According to Echono, the N10bn intervention fund for commercial agriculture in 10 Nigerian universities was an initiative of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to make tertiary institutions self-reliant.
“When we met with Mr President, he specifically gave us that mandate that we should begin to prepare our universities to become self-reliant, to explore another avenue to generate revenue, instead of relying on government allocations.
“Mr President asked us to scout for universities with vast land that can be used for commercial agriculture, not only for training of their students.
“So, in this year’s intervention, Mr President approved N10bn for 10 universities. So having seen what I have seen here and being an agriculture university, JOSTUM will be one of them,” he said.
Echono added that in countries like the United States, for example, only five per cent of the population engaged in agriculture.
“Because they adopt modern techniques and technology, they can feed their entire country and also export a lot of food.
“This is something we as a people and as a government should embrace.
“There are many countries around the world which are not even as endowed as we are.
“With our rich fertile land, our people who are very hard working, if we prepare them well, train them, modernise our agriculture, we would transform this economy in no time,” he added.
He commended the vice-chancellor of JOSTUM for the judicious use of the resources from TETFund.
“As a son of the soil, I am particularly proud that we are improving in the university located in our location,” he added.
The minister, who was represented by the Director of University Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiyya Illyasu, urged other tertiary institutions to emulate JOSTUM by providing needed infrastructure in the university.
“I want to say that the university management has done well. They have put the 2024 TETfund intervention into proper use by erecting quality infrastructure.
“If other universities would do this, in the next 15 years, our institutions would become world standards.
“By September 2025, another intervention would be released and accessed by JOSTUM, which shall be used to renovate the infrastructure, including toilets, hostels, etc,” the director said.
