EBSU Agric Faculty Student Union Visits AMCIN, Solicits Funding
Charles Nwankwo
Students in Faculty of Agriculture Ebonyi State University Abakaliki has solicited for funding to Start crop and live stock production in Clusters.
The students’ Delegation led by the Faculty President Nwuguru Okechukwu Nelson made the request when visited the Southeast Zonal Coordinator Association of Micro-credit Institutions of Nigeria, Princess Comfort Nweke in her office at N0: 43 Afikpo Road Abakaliki.
The facility leader, Mr. Nwuguru said that students poured out their hearts when one of the resource persons mentioned that youths are shying away from Agriculture, during the 2023 International Youth Day with the theme “Youth Involvement in Agriculture, a Step to Economic Development”
He said that it appears very shameful that many 85 % of people who graduated from Agric faculty are into okada, keke, POS, businesses in the same faculty, instead of competing in their field of study such as live stock or crop production, tracing the abnormality to lack of fund.
He said, a situation whereby a graduate who studied a professional course will steal be feeding from the parents pot. We want to initiate a platform that undergraduates in Agric faculty would have farm to practice who was thought in theory and at the same time make money to solve financial needs in school.
“If Government or organization can be providing fund for undergraduates in Agric facility, that will be a motivating factor for them to choose neither live stock nor crop production and such will boost the Agricultural product in the state and Nigeria at large” he asid.
Responding, the Southeast Zonal Coordinator AMCIN Princess Nweke Comfort appreciated the students’ courage and zeal to invest on Agriculture, adding that youths involvement in Agriculture would revive Nigeria from economic crash.
Princess Nweke said that AMCIN is out to help especially youths who are focused because the era of white kola job is fading away, oil is draining, the only alternative is Agriculture.
The Zonal Coordinator applauded the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State who has started investing heavily in Agric sector, pointing out that the Governor through the Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture flagged off fertilizer distribution to farmers across the thirteen LGAs in the state.
Princess Nweke encouraged the students to register organized Cooperative with the state Ministry of Commerce and industry and then AMCIN that will be providing funding opportunities such as loan or grant. She instantly instructed the students union leader to forward to her office list of ten most indigent students that will be financial support no matter how small.
