The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Felix Salako urges the federal government to desert its oil-dependent approach to economic sustenance, by focusing on agriculture.
Salako said this in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while commissioning the facilitation and communication skills training programme put together by the Cassava Adding Value for Africa II (CAVA II) Nigeria Project, for Agricultural Development Programmes’ (ADPs) staff and large-scale cassava farmers.
According to Salako, the CAVA II project is helping to breed a new generation of extension officers who will use agriculture as a catalyst to make the country take its rightful place in the comity of nations.
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He further said: “It is dawning on everybody now – whether we like it or not – we are running into trouble with oil. What may even make oil to be useless is the fact that people are already thinking of alternative source of energy, even for running cars. The training could not have come at a better time than now,”.
Moreso, He said: “We are confident that the completion of course will make you better and help in building your capacity to aid effective facilitation and communication with farmers”
Country Manager of CAVA II (Nigeria) and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) Designate of FUNAAB, Professor Lateef Sanni noted that inconsistency in the supply of raw materials is a major headache for large-scale industries.
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It could also be recalled that CASSAVA 2017TECH Conference hosted earlier this year by CAVA II (Nigeria), in conjunction with FUNAAB and other development partners, was aimed at further boosting agricultural production and to discuss latest development in the cassava industry.
