In this present time of food insecurity and food inflation, Nigerians have been charged to go back to the farms and be engaged in the processing and marketing of farm produce and products.

This call was made yesterday by the Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Food Security in Nigeria, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, at the Convocation Ceremony for the award of National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) of the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Represented by the Ministry’s Coordinator in Oyo State, Dr. Florence Kakulu, the minister said “by so doing, food and nutrition security will be achieved. By this, Nigeria will be great” when Nigerians go back to farming and are engaged in agriculture.

In his address, the Honourable Minister congratulated the fresh graduates on their convocation, charging the provost of the college and entire management not to relent in improving the standard of knowledge being passed across to the students.

He also challenged the students to think outside the box irrespective of the nomenclature of their courses of study, adding that youths today, cannot afford to do things the same way they were done before, and technology has become imperative to embrace.

Telling the graduates that the ministry is proud of them, Senator Kyari implored the college and students to stand as a broad linkage between researchers, farmers, and industries. “By so doing,” he said, “agricultural productivity will improve, and as a result, underemployment will reduce, Gross Domestic Product will increase, and crime rate will reduce drastically if not completely.”

The minister further counselled the youths to harness all the skills acquired in the college including entrepreneurial skills injected into the curriculum. According to him, “you will be job-creators not seekers.”

At the ceremony, the Provost of the College, Dr. Adekoya Olatunde Owosibo, appreciated the minister for the donation of a primary health centre, two major facilities which are at Jericho and NCRI facility respectively, for the purpose of transforming this college.

He also pleaded with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for more support, specifically stating that the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) be disbursed to the college quickly, “so that we will be able to change our moribund equipment and our lecturers will be able to enjoy some facilities for training,” he said.