Experts insist Agric varsities should remain under NUC, not in FMARD

Some experts in agriculture are opposed to the directive given to the three federal universities of agriculture in the country, to return to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, in order to fulfill their core mandate of facilitating research, with a view to achieving self-sufficiency in food production.
The directive had come from the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, asking the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike in Abia State, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State to return to the ministry; stressing that the Act establishing them had actually affiliated them with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), in order to boost innovation and research.
But reacting to the directive, the Deputy Dean, Faculty of Agriculture in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), N. Hudson Ukoima, a professor, said such thinking from the ministry of Agriculture was not the right thing to do now.
“This is like poor thinking, poor result. It is very unfortunate. Researches are conducted in the universities, and not in the ministry,” Ukoima said.
The University of Science Technology don advised the Federal Government to adequately fund the Universities of Agriculture, and direct the Ministry of Agriculture to liaise with the universities through the Extension Department to get the desired results.
The erudite professor made his opinion known to BusinessDay via a text message.
Also in a telephone interview, the former vice chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Jude Njoku, a professor of Agricultural Economics, stated that originally the Act setting up the Federal Universities of Agriculture aligned them with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture; but they were later taken over by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for uniformity.
Directing them back again to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was like going back to the old system, and it is not good, and not advisable, Njoku said.
He stated that the NUC has what it takes, in terms of supervision, manpower and the purpose of getting the concerned universities of agriculture to the NUC uniformity.
He noted that what the government should do, is to fund the universities of agriculture adequately, to enable them carryout researches; and not transferring them to the Ministry of Agriculture; stating that neither the level of funding of agriculture was adequate, let alone transferring the FUAs to it.