The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mahmood Abubakar, has urged Nigerian youths, especially the young graduates to embrace entrepreneurship in place of white-collar jobs.
Abubakar made the plea on Thursday at the graduation ceremony of the Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Moore Plantation, Ibadan.
The minister was represented at the occasion by Mrs Omolara Oguntuyi, the Board Chairperson of the college.
He observed that no fewer than 13 millions young people entered job market each year, with only three millions of them securing the jobs.
Abubakar said that embracing entrepreneurship would reduce unemployment challenges and make millions of the youth to be self-reliant.
He said that the college needed to structure institutional arrangement supporting innovations, adding this would enhance economic development of the nation.
The minister admonished the graduands to prepare themselves for the task ahead by thinking out of the box, saying that the college system did not teach them to make mistake, but to be perfect.
In her address, the college Provost, Dr Elizabeth Augustus, said that 1,381
graduands received National and Higher National Diploma certificates in different fields of agricultural specialisations.
According to Augustus, it cut across 11 programmes currently being run by seven departments of the college.
She admonished the graduands to be good ambassadors of the college in any field they might find themselves.
The provost also urged them to maximise the knowledge gained in entrepreneurial training in agricbusiness, during the course of their study in the school.
She said that FCA, formerly known as School of Agriculture, was established in 1921, adding, “it is the first agriculture institution in Nigeria and Africa at large”.
Augustus said: “The mandate of the college then was to train agriculture assistants in Nigeria.
“Among the objectives of the college include: to produce well-trained agriculture manpower and issue national and Higher National Diploma certificates in its various programmes.
“Also, to contribute and proffer solutions to Nigerian agricultural challenges by providing excellent extension services.
“In addition, FCA is to offer short courses and training programmes targeted at boosting competency of Nigerian agricultural personnel,” he said.
The provost maintained that the college was playing vital role in the agricultural revitalisation agenda of the Federal Government, as well the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in ensuring food security, poverty eradication and job creation.
She hinted that the college was making deliberate efforts toward quality research investment, “but we are limited to available fund in this regard.”
The provost called on the Federal Government to further provide research fund so that erudite team of researchers in the college could better launch into research works to revitalise the nation’s agricultural potential.
She also appealed to the Federal Government to reintegrate the college into the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, saying that it was essential to aid the strategic repositioning of the college through consolidation and innovations.
