Sen. Adeyemi calls for establishment of more Universities of Agriculture

The representative of Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, has stated that establishment of Federal Universities of Agriculture across the country will bring an end to farmers/herders clashes across the country.

The former National Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, while speaking with newsmen in Abuja pleaded with the Federal Government to establish three Federal Universities of Agriculture in each geopolitical zone, which will make provision for ranches.

On the passage of a bill seeking the establishment of University of Agriculture in Kabba, Senator Smart appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to speedily sign the bill into law.

He said: “The passage of the bill seeking the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture in Kabba is a right step in the right direction, particularly in resolving the frequent cases of farmers-herdsmen clashes.

“The reason is that we would have young educated farmers who will go into livestock, and that will reduce the issue of frequent clashes we are experiencing all over the places.

“More than ever before, this is the time to have more Universities of Agriculture in Nigeria. Presently, we have one Federal University of Agriculture in each geopolitical zone.

“The time has now come for the Federal Government to establish three Federal Universities of Agriculture in each of the geopolitical zones. This is because in agriculture lies the strength of our currency as a nation. It is through agriculture that we could get millions of our graduates into farming, take them off the streets and make them productive.

“There are quite a number of cash crops that could be exported but we have not really encouraged it. When we have enough Universities of Agriculture, we will have young men who would go into agriculture and by extension, some of them could set up cattle ranches so that they could complement the beef production and its exportation. By so doing we would get more foreign exchange earnings to boost our economy.

“It is on this note that I am appealing to the president to sign the bill into law. The Federal University of Agriculture we are proposing in Kabba is very important first to accelerate Nigeria’s economic activities, to raise young farmers take a career in agriculture.

“It will end farmers-herders clashes by producing more young graduates who would know the technologies required to set up a modern cattle ranching and again we would be a nation that would be exporting and our currency can be strengthened.”