Obaseki plans to establish a top-tier agricultural college, guarantee job placement for its graduates
The governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has reaffirmed his dedication to creating a premier college in the state’s agriculture industry and guaranteed employment by the state for future graduates.
On Thursday, December 29, 2022, in Iguoriakhi, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Edo State, Obaseki made the promise while examining the current building work at the college.
Obaseki said: “We aim to establish a true world-class institution that trains and prepares people to have careers in the agriculture industry, If we claim that agriculture is as vital to our country as we do, then we need institutions that can educate and develop highly skilled and competent people.
“We don’t see any such institution today in the country, and our goal is to make sure that every student who has the opportunity and privilege of going through this institution automatically gets employed even before they finish their studies here”.
Obaseki, while harping on the enormous job opportunities embedded in the project for Edo residents and Nigerians at large, noted that plans are currently underway, as the State will leverage Public-Private Partnership arrangements with reputable private-sector players to ensure the successful actualization of the goal.
He said: “This is going to be a classic collaboration between government and the private sector. The governing council of this school is made up of 60 percent people who are already in the Agric business.
“I expect that people like Okomu, Presco, Leventis
“They will help us define the curriculum that should be taught, and this school is not just going to be another certificate-awarding institution. I want it to be a job-creating institution, that’s going to be the unique difference.”
The Governor who noted that the State is currently collaborating with other world-class institutions in designing academic programs for the institution to ensure quality training of Agric extension workers assured that the accreditation of the institution will not be a problem as the State is finalizing all arrangements to gain accreditation.
He said: “We are in conversations with some institutions in America, and one of them is likely to be working with us to design programs to train Agric extension officers or workers, and that conversation started about three years ago; we are still on it, and we are very optimistic that it will happen.
“In terms of accreditation, we’ve done extensive work. Accreditation will not be an issue. Much of it has been sorted out. We just need to finish the physical facilities like we did with the School of Nursing Sciences”.
Some of the facilities in the institution are an Administrative Block, blocks of classrooms, an Auditorium complex, Library (including an eLibrary), Staff Quarters, Hostels, Health Centre, Teaching and Research farms, among others.”
