Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State is on the verge of rewriting the narrative of the dairy industry in Nigeria. The move is basically meant to reduce the importation of milk and improve the welfare of the farmers.  

And like the popular adage that charity begins at home, the institution has commenced the processes within its host community – Iwo.
 
Currently, the institution has established a milk collection centre code-named Dairy Village, in partnership with Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, where dairy farmers have the opportunity of selling their milks. 
 
This concept, a brainchild of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, a Professor of Soil Physics is part of the institution’s community service and sustainable economic empowerment opportunities through research and development.

During the tour of the facility sited within the campus by select Journalists, the reality on ground showed that the initiative is capable of giving lifeline to the farmers, in the sense that those who majorly process their milks into cheese, which bring little or no returns are already smiling to the banks as the initiative has not only saved their time and energy, it has also offered them extra income that has improved their standard of living. 

A professor of Animal Science in the institution, Prof. Tunde Lawal, who is in charge of the project, said plans have already commenced to take the initiative to another level, one of which is the establishment of a pasturage in preparation for special cows that can yield more milk than the local animals in the country.

“Already, we have the semen from Girolando breed of cattle from Brazil for artificial cross-breeding with our local animals. The animals have been impregnated already. It means the calves from the animals will be hybrid. They’ll be producing milks with very high quantity.”

According to him, the calves will be producing 15 litres of milk as against the one and a half or two litres produced by the local breeds.

“Research has confirmed that the process will be successful and the animals can cope with our weather successfully. Then, the university will, in turn, make the cow available for the local farmers in Iwo and train them on grazing and management of the cow.

“The hybrids given out to the farmers will be servicing the female local breeds. We’ll extend it beyond Iwo and even to the national level if the experiment is successful.

“The research on the availability of the special animals and their feed is ongoing on campus and the university will make the animals accessible to the local farmers in the state,” he said.
    
The Agric Officer of the school, who is in charge of the paddock, Olugbenga Ajibade, who revealed that the institution has 33 cattle currently, said they are working hard to reach the 100 targets. “We cannot start with 100 cattle at a go, that’s why we are staring with this number, along the line, we’ll reach the target.”

This particular breed are foreign and are being used for mating purposes to produce more active breed to improve the production rate of milk in the cattle.

“With the use of local breeds alone; the production rate is always low but with the use of Artificial Insemination, there will be an increase in production of milk unlike the local breeds.”

He added that aside milk production, the cattle are meant for commercial, teaching and research purposes.
“One of the areas we need to also take seriously is feeding. To achieve our dream, we have imported Brachiaria specie of grasses mainly for their feeding. Currently, we have more than 10 acres of land planted with the grasses.”

The Technical Assistant to the Vice Chancellor and Director of Student affairs, Dr. Adebola Adewunmi Aderibigbe, who conducted Journalists round, revealed that the milks are sold raw at the point of sale to Friesland Campina at Iseyin.

Speaking further, he said, “The breeds of the cow we have in Nigeria has an estimated limited quantity of milk production. What Bowen is doing is to inseminate this breed with Girolando – a breed from Brazil. When you do that the produce of Girolando has a more commercial quantity value, compared to the local breeds. So, it is not about the number of cows, it is about the quality.
Aside the dairy initiative, the institution has recorded another first, which has positioned Nigeria on the SuperDARN global map and in the network of nations that play host to the international scientific radar network, with the Virginia Tech. Nigerian Bowen Equatorial Aeronomy Radar (VT-NigerBEAR) project.

The facility is the first equatorial high frequency radar in the world, which means that Bowen University has automatically become an international centre of excellence. The feat holds immense benefits for Nigeria and the different stakeholders cutting across the industry and the academia.

The initiative makes Nigeria the 12th country participating in the international scientific collaboration in the world.
The SuperDARN is a network of high-frequency (HF) radars located in the high and mid-latitude regions of both hemispheres that is operated under international cooperation. The network was originally designed for monitoring the dynamics of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere in the high-latitude regions. However, over the last 15 years, SuperDARN has expanded into the mid-latitude regions. 

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ogunwole, who described the facility as impressive body of scientific knowledge on the nature and dynamics of the upper and mid-latitude, said it holds immense promise for a wide spectrum of stakeholders within and outside this country. 
“The case is different for equatorial lower latitudes despite growing evidence showing that ionospheric irregularities at the lower is significant. This justifies the need for this facility that will probe very intensely, the irregularities at these lower levels.”

Some of the benefits of the facility, according to him, include – enhancement of the space weather research; positioning, surveying and oil exploration. He said the facility would also assist local and foreign industries to be scientifically accurate with material science for the African sub region. 
“It will also improve the teaching of science at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, particularly Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, Geography, Geoinformatics Geology and Astronomy.”

In his speech during the commissioning, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the importance of the project cannot be over-emphasised as it has the potential to revolutionise communications infrastructure, space research, equipment design, geo-mapping, forecasting and prediction of atmospheric, climatic and oceanic conditions within Nigeria and the near low latitudes.

He said: “We need to pay attention to VT-NigerBEAR, not just because of its potential, but because of the ways in which it can change the quality of our communications using telecommunications devices, global positioning systems, satellite communications, military communications, aerial surveillance etc.
“Its success will serve as a template for other high-level research and scientific collaborations between Nigerian and international partner institutions. Connecting results to industry and converting data to useful information for commercial and social good projects.

“The applications of the SuperDARN cuts across various sectors, for example, Greenwood et al observed that SuperDARN could view 4,000,000km square of the shared Australian and New Zealand Ocean giving valuable wind-wave direction information.
“Hence, such kind of information when acquired from VT-NigerBEAR can be applied for our waters in Nigeria, particularly for offshore oil exploration activities, prediction of natural disasters and support for the activities of the navy by measuring ocean wave heights, surface currents, and surface wind directions over vast, remote areas on our waterways.”