The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Prof. Idris Bugaje says the development of an organic agriculture curriculum will enhance agriculture revolution.
Bugaje said this at the five-day National Critique Workshop of the Proposed National Diploma Organic Agricultural Technology Programme, in Abuja.
The event was organised by the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Nigeria Initiative in collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Bugaje, who was represented by his special assistant Mr Ibrahim Bashir in his opening remarks emphasised the importance of developing a good curriculum.
Mr Ibrahim Bashir, Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary, NBTE, urged the participants to develop a robust curriculum that will impact positively on the nation.
“Curriculum is the foundation of any good programme you want to enroll in and if the curriculum is robust, then the product is expected to be very good at the end of the day.
“This is because those who would be trained will use this curriculum and once we miss it at this stage, then there will be a problem.
“This workshop would impact on food sustainability because we are starting on a small scale, though eventually it will go on a large scale and once it is done, it will be implemented across the country,” he said.
He, therefore, called for the implementation of organic agriculture in tertiary institutions to boost food and nutrition security in the country.
Dr Olugbenga AdeOluwa, Country Coordinator, Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative in Nigeria, said the workshop would ensure a draft curriculum to change the narrative of agricultural studies in tertiary institutions.
“The curriculum, which will be the product of this workshop, is going to go a long way in giving Nigerians the opportunity of understanding organic agriculture properly and also providing job opportunities for many youths.
“Not only youths but even people with Ph.D. in agriculture or any field and those that feel that there is a gap to fill in the development of organic agriculture in Nigeria.
“So, we are hoping that many institutions offering National Diploma in Agriculture will use this, and it can provide a lot of employment for Nigerians, through West Africa and beyond’’.
AdeOluwa said that the desire of EOA is to see products of organic agriculture curriculum anchoring organic agriculture businesses, working in different sectors.
“This should show in the production certification, processing, standards organisations, developmental organisations including banks that want to fund organic projects; so the opportunity is just endless.
“As we speak, most youths would not just want to study agriculture, those that go into it are mostly those rejected in other courses, we just have a few that will naturally choose agriculture.
“But on the other way round, an average youth wants to be innovative, so this organic agriculture technology is an innovation to agriculture which we believe will add colour to agricultural training in Nigeria,” he said.
Mr Ernest Aubee, an Independent Agricultural Consultant and Former Head, Agriculture Division, ECOWAS Commission, added that the implementation of the curriculum would foster food security in the African continent.
“It is an important process as we need a comprehensive and all-inclusive curriculum for organic agriculture development in tertiary institutions, not just for Nigeria but for West Africa and indeed the African continent.
“The benefits are immense because a good curriculum will be used in our tertiary institutions, polytechnics, universities among other places.
“That will provide solid training on ecological and organic agriculture for our students who are young people.
“Young people who can gain knowledge and go back to the wider world and use that knowledge for the development of agriculture in general.
“This way, it would be helping countries in Africa to attain food and nutrition security and also helping to create employment for young people.
“The policy makers should endeavour to approve the curriculum as soon as possible.
“So that the curriculum can become operational in all tertiary institutions, and it will be of benefit to the entire West Africa and the African continent,” he said.
