A bill for an act to provide for the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Oke Ogun passed second reading today at the floor of the Senate.
The bill moved by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai,representing Oyo North Senatorial Dustricts,was however referred to the Committee on Tertiary Education for further legislative input.
Buhari who is the chairman Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime said” Oke-Ogun is a zone in Oyo state that comprises of 10 Local Governments with more than 60% of the entire Oyo state land mass and arguably an agrarian area that is the food basket of the State that can be transformed to food basket of the nation.
The zone boasts of up to 3million population of reasonably agile youths who have passion for agriculture but currently at subsistence level.
The zone has an extensive fertile land for agriculture and this always serves as temptation for the willing youths who are ready to shift from subsistence level to a mechanized agriculture.
The population of the youths in this area can feed the nation. It is however pathetic Mr President and my Distinguished colleagues that despite these advantages, the zone can neither boast of a single Federal Government presence nor a Higher Institution of Learning.In fact, not even a Federal Government College to further technical knowledge through research and nurture unique innovations and entrepreneurship in its core area of interest in Agriculture and Technology.”