The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Dr Adedeji Ashiru has disclosed that the agency in its efforts to boost food security in the country has procured 25 tractors for dry season farming and awarded contracts for the construction of seven dams with irrigation facilities across the four states of coverage.
Ashiru has also hinted at forming a very strong and strategic collaboration with the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta to improve food production for the country.
The MD of O-ORBDA in a statement issued on Thursday by the agency’s spokesman, Mr Adeniyi Saliu, was said to have made this disclosure during the visit of the Governing Council members of FUNAAB led by its Chairman, Oba Abdur-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji land.
Speaking during the visit, Ashiru said, “We are delighted to receive the Governing Council of FUNAAB, and we consider the visit a great opportunity to strengthen our partnership and collaboration in advancing the frontiers of the agricultural sector.
“We share a common goal of promoting sustainable agricultural practices, enhancing food security, and empowering our youth to become leaders in the agricultural industry.”
He disclosed further that “O-ORBDA in its efforts at ensuring food security in the country has procured twenty-five tractors for dry season farming and has awarded contracts for the construction of seven dams with irrigation facilities across the four states of coverage”.
Ashiru said that the O-ORBDA’s team will visit FUNAAB’s dam site to cite an irrigation project at the university, to maximise the thousands of hectares of land available at the University.
He said that the agency has been empowering the youth graduates in agricultural practices, part of which is the inauguration of fifty graduates at the agency’s Graduate Youth Empowerment Programme where the participants would be empowered at the end of six months of training to go into agricultural practices.
The Managing Director said, “Since there’s the availability of land at the University, successful graduate trainees could be seconded to obtain land at the university and all of this is to achieve President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate of ensuring food security in the country”.
“We look forward to exploring areas of mutual interest, sharing our experiences, and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
“We are confident that this engagement will yield fruitful outcomes that will benefit both our organisation and the nation at large” he concluded.
Earlier in his address, the Pro- Pro-Chancellor, Oba Olabomi said the Governing Council decided to visit the agency to explore areas of collaboration.
He said “The two institutions are neighbours, we share boundaries, and our objectives are similar which has to do with food security. Above all, I consider it very germane to have synergy between OORBDA, FUNAAB.”
Oba Olabomi pointed out that the collaboration between the two organisations could also create job opportunities for graduates to go into farming.
This he said could be achieved when the agency provides the irrigation facilities and the University provides the land for cultivation.
The royal father explained that “FUNAAB is for research and training whatever we do, we have to ensure that our research products as an institution are taken to the community there should be a synergy between the town and the gown in the area of food security.
“We need you like you also need us and by extension the whole society, Southwest needs us, we must change the narrative of our farming.
“We want to demand maximum benefits from the services of O-ORBDA, it is our belief that with this visit, we want to form a serious and long-lasting collaboration that will be mutually beneficial.
” I was happy when I saw some tractors when I entered the premises, when we provide a good enabling environment for our youth they will farm.”
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olusola Kehinde in his remark thanked the O-ORBDA’s management for receiving the team at short notice.
Kehinde further said as the best University of Agriculture in Africa and 7th best in the World, the University would strive to serve the nation better in all endeavours.