Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has advocated the creation of a dedicated specialized fund for agricultural research for tertiary institutions in the country as the need to diversify the economy increases.
Uzodinma made the call while delivering the 12th convocation lecture of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, saying the fund “could be the game changer.”
The lecture was themed “Agriculture and National Development In a Diversified Economy: A Vision of Renewed Hope Through Town And Gown Entrepreneurial Partnerships.”
Represented by his commissioner for Tertiary and Technical Education, Prof Victor Nwachukwu, he pointed at different countries that diversified their economy by boosting the agriculture sector.
“In this regard, I think it will do the nation a lot of good if we can set up a Tertiary Agricultural Education Research Fund (TAETFUND) for this purpose,” he asserted.
He said the fund should be funded through a law that makes it mandatory for agric-based corporate infrastructures and industries to pay one percent of their profit as corporate tax to the fund.
“The federal and state governments will contribute an equal ratio to the fund by deducting the equivalent of the total funds raised through the corporate tax to the research fund.”
According to the governor, he made bold to say that agriculture holds the key to the country’s development as “everyone has a role to play”.
“As Bill Miller aptly captured it: ‘Each and every member of the food Industry, from farm to fork, must create a culture where food safety and nutrition is paramount.’
“So, I make this call to action to students, faculty, community members, and business leaders. Embrace agriculture, it will diversity our economy.”
“It will develop our country beyond our imagination, but above all it will grant us the food we need to be a true sovereign nation,” Uzodinma maintained.
In a remark, the chairman of the event, Prof Ike Oluka of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu said the lecture was well researched, loaded, and full of ideas.
He urged governments at all levels in the country to prioritise agriculture and make it the cornerstone of their economy as was the case in the first republic.
Similarly, the vice chancellor of the university, Prof Maduebibisi Iwe, said the governor did justice to the theme, assuring that the university is determined to play its roll in the diversification.
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