By Roseline Okakah

In a bid to secure a sustainable future for agriculture, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in conjunction with BIOTIMATE GLOBAL RESOURCES CO. LTD has trained some primary school pupils in agriculture.

The pupils and teachers were at the end of the training/course titled induction course for Primary school pupils in Odigbo/Ole Oluji Federal constituency of Ondo state empowered with writing materials and financial support.

The two days training programme which ended on Saturday, December 30th,2023 featured 20 beneficiaries drawn from St Paul Anglican Primary School, Bamikemo, Ile Oluji, St Mathew Primary School, Iyere Ile Oluji, Muslim Primary School, Bamikemo, Ile Oluji, Ayorinde Baptist Primary School, Iyere, Ile Oluji to mention just a few.

The training aimed at catching the pupils young to have passion for agriculture for sustainability .

Speaking at the programme, the State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Hakeem Ogundeko said the training was facilitated by a House of Representative Member representing Odigbo/Ile Oluji Federal constituency in Ondo state, Hon. Festus Adefiranye to ensure that the leaders of tomorrow embrace farming as a viable and rewarding pursuit.

Ogundeko emphasized the need for young people to embrace agriculture to ensure its sustainability and called on the pupils to start practicing agriculture at their young age which will make them more grounded in the profession.

The Resource Person, Dr. Olarinde Olasimbo said training the pupils in agriculture is an indices of development.

“We are training them on agriculture and exposing them to the benefits of agriculture, if we educate them now it will have positive impact on the state and the nation at large”. Olasimbo stressed

Olasimbo highlighted the potentials of studying agriculture and urged the pupils to disregard the misconceptions that agriculture is not a lucrative field.

The Headmaster, St Paul Anglican Primary School, Bamikemo, Ile Oluji, Mr. Oyeleye Abraham, commended the facilitators for bringing the training to their community.

Abraham appealed to the government to support and motivate the young participants by providing effective monitoring, financial assistance, and access to loans.

A Teacher from St Mathew Primary School, Iyere Ile Oluji, Mrs Akinyemiju Damilola expressed her appreciation for the induction course, encouraging the federal government to enhance such training programme.

A Teacher from Muslim Primary School, Bamikemo, Ile Oluji, Mr. Amusa Kamalideen, praised the initiative, recalling the importance of agriculture in every profession and urged the federal government to ensure the continuity of such training and provide tools and equipment to empower farmers.

A Teacher from Ayorinde Baptist Primary School, Iyere, Ile Oluji, Mr Suleiman Omotayo, urged the federal government to improve the state of agriculture in Nigeria, emphasizing its potential to redirect children’s focus from white-collar jobs to the agricultural sector.