The Federal Government has approved N30bn for the nation’s 30 universities of agriculture to immediately commence mechanised farming.
The announcement came with a directive for specialised universities to focus strictly on their core mandates and cease offering programes unrelated to their original purpose.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja while declaring open a retreat organised by the Ministry of Education for pro-chancellors of federal universities.
Alausa emphasised the importance of universities of agriculture owning and operating mechanised farming systems. He revealed that each university would receive N1bn as a take-off grant for the initiative.
Similarly, 18 medical schools will receive N17bn to train healthcare professionals, including medical doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and nurses.
Additionally, the government has finalised arrangements to provide startup grants to university students to support their entrepreneurial endeavors.
“We need to look critically into your curriculum, into the kind of courses that your universities are offering. We have federal universities of agriculture offering courses in accounting. That, we want you to move away from.
“You’re University of Agriculture, focus on what you were set up to do.
We have the Federal University of Technology offering courses in insurance. Your University of Technology, focus on that.
“We have several universities there. You are a faculty of agriculture, you don’t have a farm. What are you teaching? We will work with you, to encourage you to have your farm. Every university that has a faculty of agriculture, we now want you to set up your own mechanised farming and livestock production. And we have put aside about N30bn for that.
“We will give you N1bn. You will have to apply for N1bn to set up your mechanised farming in each of these universities. That will also help to contribute to food security in your country.
This President, one of his first pillars in his priority area is food security. We want you as the people that build our future, the education system, build value of future and freedom and opportunities.
“We want you to start using your power, your position to create opportunities for attainment. We are also working with a tech fund. As I said, we’re focusing on STEM.
“We’ve identified about N17bn of the high impact with TETFund. Our special high impact projects to 18 universities. This will be directed, focused on a medical school to specifically train doctors, dentists, pharmacists, and nurses.
“Eighteen of the universities will share that N17bn. But we want you to focus on these four categories of courses for doctors, pharmacists, dentists, and nurses.”
Alausa said the Federal Government was also working with a green energy company to launch a transport initiative tagged Renewed Campus Transportation.
