Posted by By Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta on
It was pains and despair yesterday as the University of Agriculture Abeokuta (UNAAB), marked its 14th and 15th Convocation with thousands of motorists stranded in an unprecedented traffic jam on the Abeokuta/Ibadan road.
It was pains and despair yesterday as the University of Agriculture Abeokuta (UNAAB), marked its 14th and 15th Convocation with thousands of motorists stranded in an unprecedented traffic jam on the Abeokuta/Ibadan road.
Many graduating students, parents and their well-wishes were caught up in the traffic jam that forced many of them to miss the ceremony.
Even though yesterday was a public holiday to mark the eid-el-maolud, people turned out enmasse for the ceremony which led to unprecedented traffic jam in the ancient city.
The terrible situation forced many students and their parents to fete their guests five kilometres away from the convocation ground as motorist struggled to make u-turn on the road.
For greater part of the day yesterday, the Adatan/Obantoko/Eleweran/ camp area of the state capital was locked-up for more than five hours in serious traffic jam with many lamenting. It was untold hardship for both pedestrians and motorists along the federal road.
During the ceremony, the Minister of Education, Dr. Igwe Aja Nwachukwu, canvassed a partnership between the Federal Government and the private sector in the funding of research at our universities.
The chancellor of the university, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozien, said the urgent intervention would help in the promotion of rapid economic development of the country.
Nwachukwu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Jerry Agada, said the new agricultural policy of the Federal Government was anchored on the participation of the private sector to ensure food security for Nigerians.
'The objectives of the new agricultural policy are the achievement of food sufficiency, food security, increase production of raw materials for industries, increase production of export crops, generation of gainful employment and the national utilization of agricultural resources.
'Consequently, our new policy directive involves creating environment for private sector investment in agriculture, rationalizing the roles of the three tiers of government and the private sector, re-organising institutional framework and implementing rural development programme," he said.
Nwachukwu promised that the Federal Government would construct a dam for the university as a lasting solution to the problem of sourcing potable water for the community