Bill to establish Agriculture Varsity in Osun passes second reading at Senate

A bill seeking to establish a Federal University of Agriculture and Tropical Studies in the Iragbiji area of Osun State has passed its second reading in the Senate.

The bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.

It was read for the first time on Wednesday and hurriedly scheduled for a second reading a few minutes later.

It was, thereafter, transmitted to the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) for further legislative input.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, directed the committee to report to the Senate within three weeks.

Lead debate

Mr Bamidele, the senator for Ekiti Central Senatorial District, in his lead debate, said the agriculture and tropical university will serve as training opportunities for Nigerians.

“This bill is a bold step towards not only addressing the educational needs of the populace, but it will also serve as a training ground for the development of agriculturists in the country.

“Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is unquestionably the largest land-people provider, more also in the rural areas, and can contribute significantly to the GDP demand for agricultural products, rising rapidly with the increase in population and per capita income and growing demand for the industrial sector,” he said.

The senate leader argued that the university would strengthen agricultural and tropical studies in the country.

“The university will provide a holistic development of agricultural and tropical studies, knowledge, skills, and a telescopic vision of the future that will help them contribute to accelerated agricultural growth rates, enhance farmers’ income and generate employment in the sector.

“This will give the students a platform to enable the country to achieve self-sufficiency in food, reduce poverty, and bring economic transformation to millions of rural families.

“The objectives for which the university is established, among others, are to encourage the advancement of learning and to hold out to all persons, without distinction of race, creed, sex, or political conviction, the opportunity of acquiring tertiary education in agricultural and tropical studies, act as agents and catalysts through postgraduate training, research, and innovation for the effective and economic utilisation, exploitation, and conservation of the country’s agricultural resources.

“It will also offer to the general population, particularly in the area of agricultural and tropical studies, as a form of public service, the results of training and research, and to foster the practical applications of these results, identify the problems and needs of the agricultural sector in Nigeria, and to find solutions to them within the context of overall national development, and also provide and promote sound, basic scientific training as a foundation for the development of agricultural and tropical studies in Nigeria, taking into account indigenous cultures and the need to enhance national unity.”

Contributions

Majority of the senators who contributed to the debate supported it.

Kamorudeen Olalere (PDP, Osun East) said the university will contribute to the development of the state when established.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, stressed the need to diversify the nation’s economy.

“The clamour over the years is that we should diversify the economy. We can no longer depend on the oil alone,” he said.

Mr Jibirin urged the federal government to invest in mechanised farming.

Idiat Adebule (APC, Lagos West) said the institution would create jobs and strengthen the country’s food production system.