FECA’s New Face: “no need of going to Songhai for training” Dr. Odedina

FCA students on practical farm with  the Provost in blue T-shirt Dr. Odedina, and in blue native, the Publisher, Foodfarmnews Ayeni Oladehinde,.

The last three years and months of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure (FECA) under the present Provost, Dr. Samson A. Odedina has worn a new face worthy to be called Centre of Excellence in agricultural value chain training and transferring of improved technologies to farmers, both youths and women across the country; without necessarily going to Songhai towards ensuring food security and wealth creation.

FCA newly built International Conference Centre

This was the mindset of the Provost and his management team on assuming office in January 2015, to change the appalling narrates of the college to its present attractive level where more courses have been added to the Institution based on infrastructural provision it has achieved despite a very low funding when compared with other Federal agricultural colleges in the country.

2017 Capital project of 1KM. Access road with drainage and asphalt

From the main gate entrance, the new face of the College is not hidden as going to the left side towards the newly built International Conference Centre is very revealing with Point of Sale ( POS) building side by side Biofort Restaurant courtesy of Harvest Plus Nigeria on a straight line while the new ten (10) rooms Diamond Jubilee house is also very conspicuous for affordable accommodation for any vocational trainee or guest. 

The POS centre where Agro inputs and other derivative products from the college are available for offtake

It is worthy to note according to Dr. Odedina that the rest rooms are products of prudent spending of the capital project fund from the conference building. All these facilities are already functioning as an internally revenue generation for the college and also points of entrepreneurship training for the students.

2017 Capital project, Oil palm processing center and Cassava Flash drier

The provost pointed that other facilities commissioned alongside the stated above during the 60^th anniversary of the college are “Rebuilt Cassava Processing and Value Addition Centre (EDU), Crop Processing Centre and Livestock Resource Centre with veterinary clinic as all these are parts of what would make the college a good agro tourism centre in the near future. Also they have really assisted the training sessions of the students’ entrepreneurship skills with others that come for vocational trainings.

Dr. A. Adeeko,in the middle, the Provost in blue T-shirt Dr. Odedina, in blue native, the Publisher, Foodfarmnews Ayeni Oladehinde, backing the conference centre.

 Already the World Bank assisted programme of Fadama III Additional Financing (AF) has been given loan support to some of the year two ( 2) students to start vitamin A cassava production business, and this was based on the new construction with new processing facilities like modern drier supplied free of charge by the HarvestPlus Nigeria, led by Dr. Paul Ilona, just as the rebuilding of cassava centre enjoyed the financial support of Prof. Kolawole Adebayo, an alumnus of the college.

from LR Engr. Elemide O. Adebola and others, backing the wind turbine, an alternative means of power supply invented by the college.

The Food Farm News’s visit to the Institute revealed entirely the opposite of what is operating in other colleges around especially in South West where the mandate purposes were not been taken too serious; reason being lack of leadership management which often times result to conflict and strikes. 

@ the FCA Veterinary Clinic

Here, it is a different ball game as the staffs were very enthusiastic about their work which according to them was as a result of the ingenuity of the provost who knows how to carry everybody along in his dream to reposition the college. “The result is the evidence of what you are seeing” said Mr. S. L Asafa, chairman, Senior Staff Association who added that “here we work as a team and we have a listening and passionate provost who cannot compromise anything short of development”.

The new cassava processing center, where the old building was housed

FCA Livestock Research Center

The journey to the different spots of commissioned projects that have taken place since the inception of Dr. Odedina was not tiring, but rather very inspiring based on the new face the newly commissioned projects and other achievement in terms of human development have attracted and added positively to the college in terms of new courses and other foreign partnerships from both local and international organizations, while the numbers of students and people coming for training are day by day increasing.

the Provost Dr. Odediran emphasizing on FCA Products

Speaking on his spirited effort to ensure the repositioning of the College, Dr. Odedina being an alumnus said it was a role he has been praying for and was ready to face all challenges to achieve good results, pointed he has received many commendations, among are the ones from the two Agric Ministers, Chief AuduOgbeh and Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, cum visit to the college as being the first ever.

the Provost in handshake with the head of the woodwork department

In his own words, Dr. Odedina said that “it was really not rosy getting this far, but want to give kudos to the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh and the state minister, National Assembly Members, Ondo state Governor, Staffs of the college, Students, and partners that have generously contributed to the achievement recorded so far” He added there were also challenges like issue of land grabbers, dilapidated infrastructures, water challenges to students, an unkept environment and the least funded college. 

Mr. S.L. Asafa making a point about advantages of fish-cage culture, a mordern technology locally built inside natural water.

All these have been a thing of the past as a visit would tell you more as we have provided water tankers to ensure efficient circulation to students after morning practical to bath. Also it will interest you to know that our effort has facilitated the first ever curriculum in agricultural value chain that has been approved by the TEFUND for use in all colleges offering agriculture in Nigeria.

Old FCA palm oil processing center that will soon be moved to the new modern center

He pointed that the challenges on the ground especially the issue of land grabbers could be very discouraging when the space meant for  practical agricultural activities upon which the Institute is granted establishment is being taken away, but he however commended the Federal Government’s effort through the office of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh as land restoration is ongoing with judicial process and it was quite encouraging with quit notice already served to illegal occupants.

The provost said “we are optimist about our vision towards ensuring that the college becomes a centre of excellence for agricultural expertise training where there would be no need to send any Nigerian outside to a place like Songhai for training”. Pointed also that “the prudency management approach to spending the available fund through internally generated resources have effectively helped to achieve a lot. For example the wood and metal workshop of the college has been very handy to making available well standard doors at a competitive price for our 10 rooms’ guest house”

the Provost at the metal workshop

 Dr. Odedina said that, following the successful resource inspection exercise carried out at the college, July last year, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has granted accreditation for another five new programmes, thereby bringing the total number in the college to thirteen (13). The courses are National Diploma (ND) in Fisheries Technologies, ND in Horticulture, ND in Forestry Technology, ND in Computer Science and Higher National Diploma in Pasture and Range Management. Also the NBTE has approved the first ever Agricultural Value Chain Chain curriculum for all Institutions that run courses in agriculture.

FCA Old british power house, already replaced.

Several vocational trainings on modern agriculture for unemployed youths across states according to the provost have been organized in partnership with the Federal Government on sustainable Cassava Production Practices, Tree and Fruits Crops Nursery Technique, Bee Keeping and Honey Production, Poultry Production and Management, Fisheries and Fish Cage Culture, Pig Production, and Cassava Processing and Value Addition. All the participants from Ogun,Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Nasarawa, Abuja, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Ebonyi, Cross-River and River states were given at the end of five day start up inputs to commence their chosen enterprises.

Horse Stable for Agro-Tourism

Also the college as part of its achievement has been able to develop an alternative mean of power electricity called Wine Turbine, the technology has been tested and it has the capacity to carry three bed room apartments. It does not make noise and has dual charging of both wind and electricity with 24hrs energy supply. The Head, Agricultural and Bio Environmental Engineering, Engr. Elemide Oyebola Adebola pointed that all the components of the technology are locally sourced adding that it was a clean and renewable electricity which could easily maintained where there is sufficient wind.

FCA Provost standing in front of the 2017 Capital project, Oil palm processing center and Cassava Flash drier

Other collaborations with foreign organization and country have given positive impact. The college has been featured in the GIZ International newsletter; while effort to reduce migration of the youths was being achieved with the Government of Switzerland through training in the agricultural value chain championed by FCA. This we will not relent doing said the Provost.