The Minister of Agriculture, Muhammadu Nanono has called on tertiary institutions to focus on research especially in agriculture and technology. He gave the admonition during the first convocation ceremony of the Federal College of Horticulture in Gombe State.
Correspondent Lanre Adeyemi reports that the graduands are 1,354 horticulturists and specialists. They are potential farmers, plant experts, extension workers, and crop specialists.
After their training, the Minister of Agriculture wants them to focus on research and innovation.
The governor of the host state, Inuwa Yahaya is concerned about the underutilization of Nigeria’s agricultural potentials. He wants the federal government to speed up the implementation of its agriculture initiatives.
The awardees and the best graduating student want agriculture to be given its pride of place. A situation where farmers would be respected like other professionals.
The Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin-Kowa was established in 2002 to provide manpower with adequate technical knowledge to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Apart from those graduating today, it is currently training another 2,400 potential game-changers in that critical sector.
