The Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Fasina has unveiled a drone green revolution technology as part of his agenda to develop agriculture in Nigeria.
Speaking during a one-day training programme tagged “Drones in Agricultural Development” for both staff and students on how to use drone technology to develop agriculture in Oye-Ekiti campus, he said the green revolution was represented by the massive cultivation of ten hectares of maize, palm oil, cassava and other crops.
The university management, he said, has cultivated five hectares of the plantation on the main campus in Oye-Ekiti and another five hectares on the Ikole-Ekiti campus.
Speaking on his vision and mission for green revolution, Fasina said his major goal was to position the institution as first food basket of Ekiti and the whole nation in nearest future.
The vice chancellor noted that the university management was planning to start another farm of five hectares in Erinmope-Ekiti in the nearest future to boost agriculture production.
“We are thinking of creating an enabling environment for agriculture in the university.
“The reason why most of our youths are involved in the Japa syndrome is because the environment is not conducive for them and we are embarking on this project to make the environment conducive for them.
“The training is meant to discuss the latest trends and development in drone technology and how this can contribute to our agricultural development,” he said.
”Prof. Segun Olubode, who is the brain behind the training is on sabbatical with us.
” I have invited an agriculture expert, Mr Femi Adekoya, who will be training both staff and students on the use of drone technology to monitor the activities on the farms.
“Prof. Olubode gave us the idea of this drone technology training,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to join the university in actualising its visions for the 2023 farming season.
Addressing staff and students during the training, Adekoya popularly called the flying farmer, said that FUOYE was the first public university to engage him to train staff members and students on the use of drone technology for developing agriculture.
He said the vice chancellor’s initiative for the programme shows how the university has prepared the best for the current generation of students.
Adekoya urged FUOYE students to be focused in their respective fields to enable them gain relevance.
“Drone technology is one that is transforming the landscape of agriculture, agriculture is one of the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.
“If you have the opportunity to listen to industry exposure, more importantly you will have the first responsibility to develop yourselves, lecturers will only give what they have, you need to get more for your self to be the best.
“60 per cent of Nigerian population are engaged in agriculture but we have challenges of agriculture. Some of these are low productivity, negative perception of youths to agriculture, there is the need to meet the future demands by 2050 when the world’s population will increase to nine billion.
“We have to increase food production by 70 per cent and lastly, agriculture is the list digitalised of all sectors of all industries currently in Nigeria,” he said.(NAN)
