By Kayode Olabanji, Okitipupa

|

The Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo, Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye, has urged university scholars and researchers in the country to actively engage in quality, innovative, and cost-effective technological research that would boost sustainable food and societal security in the country and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

 The President of the African-German Network for Excellence in Science (AGNES) gave the charge while delivering the maiden edition of the School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (SAFNR) Lecture Series at Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, held at the main campus.

 Adebooye said that for Nigeria to attain food sufficiency and make the farming business lucrative, researchers should continually develop, consciously communicate and ensure farmers rear the latest breeds of livestock and cultivate the latest breeds of crops, using state-of-the-art technologies for better yields and more profits.

 According to him, Nigeria’s agricultural production was yet to meet the expected status due to poor quality of innovative research that could drastically change the Nigerian society’s narrative regarding the availability of food and other agricultural output in sufficient quantity.

 Adebooye called on the federal government to adequately fund quality research and honour the Maputo Declaration, which mandated member countries to dedicate 10 percent of their annual budgetary allocations to agriculture.

 The agriculturist posited that researchers in the 21st Century Nigeria should partner with industries and government to ensure that their research activities are demand-driven and targeted at solving specific challenges crucial to increase productivity and sustainable agricultural practices for food security and rewarding farming engagements.

 “We cannot use the same methodology under the same exogenous and endogenous conditions and expect different or better results. Albert Einstein called such reasoning father of insanity,” he declared.

 He asserted that to have a more robust sustainable agriculture and food security, women’s voices should be heard, and they should have direct access to farming incentives provided by government agencies and other non-governmental organizations.

 Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Temi Ologunorisa, emphasized the need for various schools in the University to periodically organize workshops, conferences, and lecture series bringing eminent scholars to speak on topical issues that would positively impact the University community and society at large.