Campus News

Animal Production Dept renovates building for FPT

By Mustafa Abubakar and Ishaya Joshua

The Department of Animal Production, University of Ilorin, has presented its 1985 departmental building, which was renovated for Farm Practical Training (FPT) in broiler production, to the University management to enhance teaching, research, and hands on training.                                            

Receiving the facility located at the University Farm on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Israel Ogunlade,  described the event as “a glorious and memorable day.” He commended the Head of the Department and her team for their initiative and commitment to student development.

Prof. Ogunlade said, “This is my first official outing as Dean, and I am delighted that the Department of Animal Production is taking the number one position by achieving this transformation. Today, we now have a facility where students can develop their skills and graduate not just as degree holders but as entrepreneurs.”

While congratulating the Department, the Dean urged both staff and students to maintain the facility with utmost discipline.

“We always talk about biosecurity. What you teach in class must be practiced here. Visitors should be able to see that we not only preach cleanliness and order but live it out. We will also be visiting unannounced to ensure that standards are maintained”, he added.

Prof. Ogunlade prayed for the sustainability of the project, asking that the work done there should never be hindered by climate change or human factors, and that “every effort will yield abundant results.”

In her goodwill message, the immediate past Dean of Agriculture, Prof. Oluyemisi Fawole, expressed delight at witnessing the realisation of what she described as a long held dream.

Prof. Fawole said, “This was a dream, and today that dream has come true. Administration is a continuum. I thank God I handed over to the present Dean, and I am confident that under his leadership the Faculty will continue to progress.”

She also urged students to seize the opportunity the renovated facility provides. “For years, many students only endured this programme, but from now on we want it to be different. You are here to practice what farming truly entails and to enjoy it. We are grateful to God for this change, and I wish you all the best.”

Earlier, the Head of the Department of Animal Production, Prof. Foluke Eunice Shola-Ojo, explained that the poultry pen had played a vital role in training students, supporting research, and producing published works in reputable journals.

She said, “For a long time, the facility was in poor condition dusty, cobwebbed, and without basic conveniences such as toilets for lecturers and students during training sessions,”

Prof. Shola-Ojo noted, “When we began preparations for this year’s Farm Practical Training, I presented the case at a departmental meeting that the building urgently needed renovation. The Department supported the idea, the Dean recommended it, and the Vice Chancellor graciously approved it. Today, by God’s grace, we are here to present the renovated building back to the Department.”

According to her, “the upgraded facility now features a lecture wing with a Marker Board for interactive teaching, two toilets (male and female), electricity, water reticulation, and fans for proper ventilation. The Pen itself has been restructured into five main units; UNILORIN A, B, C, D, and E and further subdivided into seven compartments. These are allocated to lecturers based on their areas of specialisation, covering poultry breeding, physiology, nutrition, and product processing.”

The Head of the Department emphasised that the improved facility will not only enhance teaching and learning experience but it will also prepare students for entrepreneurship in poultry and livestock production.