The VC, Prof. Olusola Oyewole (Arrowed), Principal Officers of FUNAAB, Director and the management team of BOI, led by Mr. Shuaib Ottan (2nd Right) at the meeting.
The Management of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) and the Bank of Industry (BoI) have set machineries in motion for collaboration in the areas of youth empowerment and poverty eradication.
Speaking at the end of a meeting, where the decision was taken, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, disclosed that the University was committed to the empowerment of its young graduates, as this will help reduce the problem of unemployment in the society.
Professor Oyewole said there was an immediate need to empower the institution’s graduates, moreso that they are entitled to a provision of N200,000 loan, in addition to free farmland in the University, under a Graduate Farming Employment Scheme.
The Vice-Chancellor added that the graduates are expected to pay back the interest-free loan, charging them to explore the possibilities of embarking on large scale agriculture.
Professor Oyewole informed of the decision of Management to invite a reputable company to manage the Industrial Park Unit and other commercial ventures of the University. “We want another company entirely to run the business and make money”, he said.
Earlier, the leader of the team from BoI, Mr. Shuaib Ottan, restated his company’s commitment to pooling resources together with the University in alleviating poverty among young graduates through youth empowerment.
He advised young graduates to join Co-operative Societies, to enable them have access to the loans.