Members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Federal College of Agriculture (FECA), Akure have staged a peaceful protest against the appointment of Albert Fadiyimu as the new Acting Provost of the institution.
Armed with placards with various inscriptions, the protesting lecturers described Fadiyimu’s appointment as illegal and unconstitutional.
ASUP, FECA faulted the institution’s governing council for approving the appointment of Fadiyimu who is not the most senior officer in the college.
The aggrieved lecturers said the protest would continue until the appointment is reversed.
Fadiyimu was appointed last Friday as the institution’s Ag Provost
Before his current appointment, Fadiyimu was the Head of Development of Animal Health and Production.
He replaces Emmanuel Moyinjesu.
People & Politics recall that Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Nigeria (fomerly School of Agriculture) was established on 10th January, 1957 by the then Government of Western Nigeria to train certified agricultural assistants and middle-level manpower in the area of agriculture.
At the end of a 2- year training programme, graduands were well equipped to supervise labour in plantations, assist researchers to manage fields and collect data or serve as field assistants in the extension system. There were jobs (white collar) then, and graduands need not venture into self employment to earn a decent living. At this time, the institution was awarding Certificate in General Agriculture and later Diploma in General Agriculture.
In 1972, the College was transferred to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) through the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (I.A.R.&T) Ibadan for academic and administrative management.
By 1991, the College administration which had passed through so many hands (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Institute of Agriculture and Research Training, Ibadan) came under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the curriculum regulation of National Board for Technical Education to award National Diploma (ND) in Agricultural Technology.
The College has since 1993 been offering both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in key areas of Agriculture and related fields.
There are also a number of commercial farms used for practical trainning of students. These are: Cash crop farms where cocoa, palm trees, coffee and rubber are cultivated. Food crop farms where rice, cassava, maize, cowpea are produced. The college also has a very large orchard where fruits such as pineapples, oranges, mangoes, banana etc. are planted. There is a feed mill where poultry feeds are produced and a livestock department with poultry, piggery, rabbitry, goatry and fishery units.
