Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, Prof. Ola-Rotimi
Ajayi on Tuesday called for increased funding of universities to assist in the
Federal Government’s agricultural transformation agenda.

Ajayi told newsmen in Omu-Aran, Kwara, that the funding would enhance the contribution
of the universities in the efforts to revive agriculture in the country.

He
said that there were many expectations on universities to arrest the current
food insufficiency due to flooding and security challenges.

‘’We
cannot isolate universities in Nigeria from the framework of governance and
administration generally.

‘’Universities
in Nigeria as you have them today are biting more than they can chew. The
resources to even run the programmes are not there. “So, at what point will
they play their roles when they cannot even fulfil the primary roles of
teaching, research and development due to inadequate funding?’’ he said.

Ajayi
said that the adequate funding would galvanise the universities to focus on
agricultural mechanisation, which is vital to ensuring food security, adding
that the universities must go into researches and laboratories to improve
agriculture and see how mechanised agriculture can be encouraged.

‘’They
must also see how improved seedling can be generated and also give it that practical
effect of transferring theories and research findings into practice.“That is
the missing link in Nigeria’s agricultural transformation initiatives as regard
the nation’s universities,’’ he said.

Ajayi
also  expressed concern on the poor state
of universities of agriculture.

‘’Look
at the federal universities of agriculture many of them have been ruined. Their
major preoccupation is how to teach students and graduate them on time. The
idea of active participation in agriculture becomes a misnomer, he said. He
said that the Landmark University had from inception envisaged the challenges
in the transformation initiative and introduced scholarship particularly for
students pursuing courses in agriculture.

‘’That
to a great extent becomes the magic wand that attracted students to the
university, especially for agriculture-related courses,’’ he said.