….As COBFAS Holds 2024/2025 Academic Session Orientation
By Olasunkanmi Olajide & Lydia Adebayo
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, has urged the Farm Practical Year (FPY) students of the Centre for Community-Based Farming Scheme (COBFAS) to embrace agricultural innovation.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Kola Adebayo,
the Vice-Chancellor stated this while delivering his Opening Remarks at the 2024/2025 Academic Session Orientation Programme for the FPY students.
He commended the students for embarking on the path towards becoming agricultural professionals, reminiscing on his own experience as a student and how FPY shaped his career. He emphasised that the FPY Programme was meticulously designed to equip students with skills not only in small-scale farming but also in managing large-scale agricultural enterprises. He also encouraged the students to embrace the future of agriculture by integrating technology and innovation into their practices, stressing the critical role they would play in the future of the industry.
The Vice-Chancellor, therefore, urged them to be proactive and to responsibly represent FUNAAB, as they embark on their FPY journey, which would provide them with practical knowledge to make significant contributions to agriculture.
Delivering a lecture titled “Overview of the FPY Programme, Course Titles, Codes, Credit Units, and Enterprise,” the Ag. Director of COBFAS, Dr. Shakirat Ibrahim, provided an in-depth overview of the one-year FPY Programme. She highlighted its goal of fostering sustainable agricultural practices, explaining that it covered 22 courses, offering students hands-on experience in crop production, animal husbandry, and various agricultural enterprises.
Dr. Ibrahim detailed the Programme’s structure, which included both practical and teaching units, stressing the importance of maintaining a farm diary and logbooks and adhering to the grading system.
In a lecture titled “Rules and Regulations Governing FPY Programme and Expectations of COBFAS,” the Deputy Director of Farms, Mr. Olugbenga Fashina, addressed the students as “Great farmers,” underscoring the significance of agriculture with the phrase, “No farmer, no nation.” He elaborated on the rewarding aspects of the FPY, including the opportunity to learn how to operate farm equipment like tractors.
Mr. Fashina also stressed the importance of adhering to the Programme’s rules, including the dress code, attendance, and respectful interactions with staff. He noted that students would sell their produce after harvest at competitive prices, contributing back to the University.
Other speakers included Mrs. Olubukola Fasae, who lectured on Poultry Management and Conduct on the Farm, and Dr. Oyelekan Nasir, representing the Ag. Director of Health Services, Dr. Oluseyi Anjorin who presented on “Health Tips,” as well as Mr. Ayelabola Adeogun, representing the Assistant Chief Environmental Officer (ACEO), Mr. Peter Bolanrinwa, who discussed “Security and Related Issues.”
Present at the Opening Ceremony were the Principal Assistant Registrar (PAR) of the Centre, Mrs. Susan Odunaro; the Principal Agricultural Officer, Mr. Taiye Semighan, as well as the Chief Agricultural Officer, Mr. Olugbenga Alayode.
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