About 60 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members on Friday started agro-allied vocational training at the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Technology (CAFFTECH), Ijeda-Ojesa, Osun under the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneur Development (SAED) programme.
Participants in the scheme are being trained in modern farm techniques for self-sustenance so as to increase agricultural productivity in the country.
The participating Corps members would also be encouraged to join cooperative and commodity bodies where they would have access to soft loans and markets after the training.
Speaking during the flag off of the scheme, the Proprietor of CAFFTECH, Dr Gabriel Ogunsanya, said that agriculture remained the only venture that could pave the way for the betterment of the future of youths.
He said that there are no white-collar jobs for graduates across the country, and that the only way out for them is to go back to the farm.
He noted that Brazil utilised her large expanse of land for farming, while vast arable lands are lying fallow in the country while the masses are suffering from hunger.
Ogunsanya pledged his support for the Corps members drawn from Oriade Local Government Area and urged them to take advantage of the facilities at the College.
Earlier, the Oniwoye of Iwoye-Ijesa, Oba Adewumi Ogidiolu, said that the College’s initiative would set the Corps members on the right paths if they develop interest in farming.
Oba Ogidiolu observed that despite the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes across the country, people were still coping.
“But no one can live without food,” the traditional ruler said.
The royal father urged the participants to prioritise agriculture for their better enhancement in life, saying that the food chain and the agricultural sector remained the most viable way to succeed as a nation.
“Especially at a time when a country’s foreign exchange is dwindling, our dependency on the oil sector has brought the country on its knees.
The Coordinator of CAFFTECH, Mrs. Christians Ogunsanya, called on the Corps members to develop interest in agriculture as it is the best solution to the unemployment problem nationwide.
The coordinator emphasised that the school was training both young and middle-aged people on the best agricultural practices to become successful farmers in life.
She said that the institute engaged in crop farming, animal husbandry, fishery, mushroom production and seed multiplication.
Also, the NYSC Local Government Inspector, for Oriade Local Government, Mr. Olunloyo Ayoola, said that this is the maiden edition of the programme for the Corps members.
Ayoola congratulated the participants as luckiest one, saying that they would benefit immensely in modern agriculture techniques to enable them stand on their own for brighter future.
Also, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Olayinka Abdulwahab, commended the management of the institution for training the youths for the development of agriculture in Nigeria.
Abdulwahab, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Corps Inspection and Monitoring, NYSC Osun, Mrs. Omoboade Adesina, charged the Corps members to use their Community Development Service (CDS) to contribute to the development of the areas they are posted to.
She, therefore, urged them to ensure that they embark on projects that would make them transform their communities to the extent of writing their names on platters of gold.
The State Coordinator appealed to corpers to be serious with the training so as to be an employer of labour after their service year.
According to her, Agro–alied CDS would support their activities on food production and security.
In his remarks, one of the Corps members, Damilola Emmanuel, lauded the management for the good gesture.
Emmanuel said that it is a privilege for him to be doing his CDS at the College of Agriculture, which would give him the chance to learn and have standard training on how to be self-employed.
He advised his colleagues to persevere and ensure that they acquire more knowledge and benefit from the adage that “there’s money in the bush.”
