We’ll continue to support education development in Oyo state— Deputy Gov

The Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr. Abdul-Raheem Adebayo Lawal has reiterated that the Makinde administration will continue to support education development in the state.

He stated this on Thursday at the second day running of the activities marking the 85″ anniversary and 76th- 83rd Combined Convocation of the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan.

Highlighting efforts of the state government towards education development in the state, the Deputy Governor urged the FCF provost to escalate the need of the institution to the state government for attention.

He posited that fund raising for the building of 1,000 capacity multipurpose hall could not be enough to address the need of the institution without the support of both federal and state governments.

He added that the current administration, led by Governor Seyi Makinde, will keep doing everything in its power to advance education in the state.

While advocating for the need of trees planting and afforestation, the Deputy Governor said that a forest is necessary for a decent living environment, stressing that trees must not be cut down indiscriminately for the production of pharmaceuticals.

He noted that Government must take conscious efforts to embark on afforestation, just as he also charged the ministry of environment to put in place mechanism that will make sure that trees are continuously planted around the environment.

The Deputy Governor said: “We know that for the environment to be good to live in, we need forest. And to some part of this country, they have taking it as policy not to be indiscriminately felling trees. Because if you fell down a tree, it may take another 25years to grow back. We must be very conscious that trees are not fell indiscriminately. We need trees for pharmaceutical.

“This period of environmental degradation, decertification and deforestation are different issues that Nigeria is confronted with, so we must take conscious efforts to embark on afforestation.

“I charge the federal government particularly the federal ministry of environment to put in place mechanism that will make us to continue to have trees planted around us.

“You must complement the efforts of Oyo state government as the ministry of agriculture has been directed to apprehend trees loggers who are infringing on our rights and to do something to assist this institute of this nature.

“In these days and times, there’s climate change, which is a combination of factors, trees felling, desertification, braking of ozone layers, which is making it difficult for us now across the globe to live peacefully. but we must assist our environment, we must assist nature so that nature can also reciprocally assist man.

“On this note, on behalf of His Excellency, Seyi Makinde, let me appreciate all of us, and we must continue to support this institute so that it shall not die”.

In his remarks, the Senator representing Oyo Central, Yunus Akintunde, who described Oyo Deputy Governor as his brother as far back as 25years ago, however expressed his delight to be part of the occasion despite his tight schedule.

He said he had to attend the ceremony as the chairman of the Senate Committee on environment, and also to honor the DG of the Ibadan federal college who he claimed was the first to visit him following his appointment at the senate.

Akintunde assured that the senate will give necessary support to the Federal College while charging them to be dynamic and think outside the box of getting things done to advance the institution.

“On behalf of the three senators from Oyo state, we have agreed to support the institution with a sum of three millionaire (3,000,000), he said.

Earlier, the provost of the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Dr. I.O Lawal, said that the college which was establshed in 1939, the first of such specialized institution in West Africa, traversed its way from Samaru, Zaria to this present location in Ibadan in 1941, transformed from a one calendar year single course in Forest Assistant, to a multi programme NBTE accredited National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) awarding institution.

According to him, the College has no doubt contributed immensely to the sustainable management of the Country’s forest estate, training middle level technical man power for the establishment, management and general sustenance of the forests. Many illustrious alumni of the College have become a force behind many forestry related policies and activities driving the efforts at sustaining our environment.

He added that the College has over time become reference points both at home and abroad in forestry and related disciplines.

In his words: “The college has been part of the raising of millions of seedlings programmes of the Federal government at different times, we have also distributed same for planting to different local government areas of the country as part of afforestation and re-afforestation programmes.

“With the age, experience and the quality of experts deployed to the College by FRIN, the college has the potential to contribute meaningfully to efforts at mitigating climate change, controlling the hazards of flooding, and reducing the cost of medicines through scientifically researched and controlled herbal preparations using None-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), thereby boosting the economy and health sector.

“I wish to state that one major drawback to the achievement of the above is inadequate funding. Cutting edge research these days requires a heavy dose of funding. I wish to state that the College had been and is still being funded by the Federal Government through budgetary allocations and the College will always be very appreciative as the Government has never slacked in this responsibility. However, we must all agree that the government cannot do this alone. Hence, the reason government in its wisdom created the Education Trust Fund (ETF) now, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), to help pool fund for the furtherance of research and teaching at our higher educational level. The level of a country’s development lies in the quality of the research output of its academia. At this juncture, Distinguished Guests, I wish to re-iterate that the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan under FRIN had benefitted from ETF now TETFUND in years past. This was however discontinued about well over a decade ago. This has certainly slowed down the College’s research and teaching activities as well as infrastructural development. The College, as old as we are, has to continue to struggle to even meet up with NBTE requirements for the accreditation of its programmes.”

The provost however called on Captains of industry, friends of the College for support in their quest to expand their research and teaching capabilities as the College celebrates its 85 years of existence.

“We are open to Public Private Partnerships (PPP) collaboration for the development of required structures, lecture theatres, students hostels, academic staff buildings, scientific laboratories and so on.

“I also wish to canvass on behalf of all the specialized institutions classified as monotechnics for a review of the law that excludes us from being beneficiaries of the TETFUND. We need to factor in the facts that we produce ND and HND students too, we research into different fields of study too, our Colleges are also subject to the same NBTE requirements for the accreditation of our programmes.”

The event was attended by senator Sharafadeen Ali who was ably represented; Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abass Lawal, ably represented by Dr. Ibrahim M. Goni; Comm. For Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Ademola Ojo; President Ibadan Indigenes, Barr. Niyi Adewole, Former Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Kazeem Bibire; royal fathers and host of others.