A vast land of 21 hectares, which include 10,000 heaps of yam, 4,000 suckers of plantain, seven hectares of maize, 62 pigs and 370 egg producing layers, is being cultivated by Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), as part of its econo-practical pathway for entrepreneurial agriculture.
This move is aimed towards fulfilling its mandate to be the first entrepreneurial University in Nigeria. The institution’s Dean, College of Agriculture, Prof. Adio Folayan said its goal is not only to teach students entrepreneurship in all spheres, but also to demonstrate to the students and the general public that agriculture is indeed a goldmine that is yet untapped.
He added that the College of Agriculture hopes to contribute about 25 per cent of the internally generated revenue of the university. Folayan stated that the College of Agriculture has embarked on Operation Feed JABU and environs, the drive, which according to him is meant to provide agricultural need of its community and those of Owena, Ikeji Arakeji, Ipetu and others.
Aside being commercial, Folayan added that the farms would also fulfil the purpose of training and research, adding that the various experiment is being carried out by students with the livestock, crops and fisheries with the aim of coming up with new species and increasing harvests.
With return on investment rising to about 300 per cent, the Dean said the students need no soothsayer to tell them about the profitability of Agriculture. He added that it is necessary for JABU to contribute its quota towards providing adequate food security for Nigerians.
He commended the University’s management for supporting the drive, stating that some management members donated farmhouses from their personal pockets.
While commending the initiative, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sola Fajana said JABU’ s claim of being an entrepreneurial university is not just a saying but also a pledge of the school.
Fajana said this is not only being expressed by the College of Agriculture alone but by every other college in the university. He said the institution couldn’t afford to join the bandwagon of universities that produce students for the job market.
He added that an average JABU graduate is not only fit for job market but also has the capacity to be an employer of labour, saying that apart from other supports neighbouring communities derive from the university, JABU will very soon become their source of affordable food stuff.
