Our graduates are major contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural development —Owosibo, Provost, FCAH&PT
The Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology (FCAH&PT), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, is celebrating 60 years of its existence. In this interview with NURUDEEN ALIMI, Provost of the college, Dr Adekoya Owosibo, shares information on how the college has contributed to the development of agriculture in Nigeria and what government can do for the college in order to continue to deliver on its mandate:
WHAT do you have to say about Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology which is celebrating its 60th anniversary?
The college was established on April 1st, 1964 and by the grace of God, we have been on for 60 years of excelent training of agriculture. And during this 60th anniversary, we want to let the general public, particularly stakeholders in the agricultural sector, know what we have been able to know what the school stands for. We have started some anniversary programme. We have invited about 75 secondary schools in Oyo State for quiz competition in agriculture, 54 of them attended and we have winners already. During the anniversary ceremony, we are going to give about 10 of them their prizes. Secondly, we have also done health talk during the International Women’s Day, we combined it with our pre-60th anniversary. We did cervical cancer screening, prostate cancer screening for men and about 500 people were treated in partnership with Zonta International and Plan Parenthood International and it was a huge success.
In what ways would you say the college has contributed to the development of agriculture particularly livestock production in Nigeria in the last six decades?
The college has been the major hub of training agricultural personnel. The major mandate of the college is training middle-level manpower in the area of National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in the area of agriculture and related sciences. Our products have been the major hub sustaining the agricultural industry. Most of the big animal industries have our products as their major manpower and that is a huge one. In the area of agriculture extension activities in Nigeria, our products are those you will find on the field relating to farmers and bring information from farmers to the research institute. In the last 60 years, we have been the one sustaining knowledge-based agriculture and practice in Nigeria.
Going forward, what should stakeholders expect from the college in terms of agricultural innovation for development?
By the grace of God, we still continue with our cutting-edge training to make sure our graduates are able to compete with their counterparts nationally and internationally. We also want to make sure that graduates that we will be producing in this school will be able to sustain the expected revolution in the area of agriculture especially now that food insecurity is here. The knowledge that these graduates will be going out with will help them to be able to advance and to be able to make sure that production does not suffer setback and also ensure that the issue of food security in Nigeria is well attended to and very soon, everything will be okay in terms of food production in Nigeria.
In what area do you think the government can be of help in order for the college to achieve its aims and objectives?
The government has a lot to do for us. In the first instance, since 2010, our name was expunged from the list of institutions that are benefitting from TetFund which created a lot of setbacks for our manpower. There is brain drain in the system, people that trained themselves before you know it, they find their way to the Polytechnic or University where Tetfund funding is available. We want the government to look our way in the area of funding. Most of our training equipment is going moribund because if we do not have government support in this area, our objective to be able to train cutting-edge manpower will suffer a lot of setbacks so we want government to see the potentials of the colleges and annex the potentials of the colleges in achieving food security for Nigeria.
What is your charge for the alumni of the institution to support the school for it to get better?
The alumni association has been up and doing but we are still calling on them to be more involved in the progress of the college. Infact, the celebration of the 60th anniversary is the brainchild of the alumni as well as the students union body. Looking back to what they have got from the school, the alumni came back that they want to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the college and the college took it over that it should be a collaborative effort. Even during this anniversary celebration, the alumni association will be here to lay the foundation of alumni building. They have donated a huge facility to the college in the past and now they are starting alumni building which they know is going to be a hub for training for the students at large. So, alumni are supporting but we are calling on them to do more for the progress of the college.