BY LEVI JOHNSON
Babcock University and Farm Connect have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the
development of a green (indoor) agriculture comprising crops production and agriculture (production of
birds, broilers eggs).
The controlled environment agriculture, to be located in a 15-screen house on a half-hectare net house
at Iperu, would run for three years in the first phase.
Speaking at a brief signing ceremony, President/Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ademola Tayo, expressed joy
that this was happening at a time when the university would play host to 28 Vice-Chancellors of the
Adventists’ universities in Africa.
“This would be a test case and I hope it would be something to trigger a revolution among these African
universities and a good way to begin a long-lasting relationship with Farm Connect,” he said.
While noting that ‘agreements were as good as those who implement them’, Professor Tayo urged the
partner not to disappoint on their part to earn more jobs and recommendations.
On Babcock’s part, Professor Tayo said, “We would keep our own part”. He noted that if the project is well-executed, it will serve as a stop-gap to Nigeria’s food crisis triggered by the bandits’ onslaught on farmers in the middle belt.
In his response, the CEO, of Farm Connect, Mr Azeez Olawale said he was going into the project with all the
zeal. “We are more committed to this project than profiting from it,” he said.
Mr Olawale said not only did he see this project as an act of worship to God but also a way of
addressing food security in Nigeria.
He said he was singling out higher institutions because he liked to live his life by adding value and that a
a lot of destines would be affected if the project was sited in Babcock
Mr Olawale said his dream is also to change the story of how people perceive agriculturalists “
Chairman of seven-man Tink Tank, Prof Cyril Nwangburoka said the MoU was the outcome of its
painstaking assignment as directed by Vice-Chancellor when the proposal was handed over to them in
March this year.