The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved the allocation of N1 billion to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) as part of its 2025 Special Intervention for Agricultural Commercial Farm. The fund, aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and supporting commercial farming, was announced through a letter from the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Arc. Sonny Echono, to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji.
Echono stated, “Further to the approval of the year 2025 intervention budget by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and in line with the provisions of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Act 2011, I write to inform you that your institution has been allocated a special intervention for Agricultural Commercial Farm in your institution. Accordingly, I hereby convey the allocation of the sum of One Billion Naira (N1,000,000,000.00) only for Agricultural Commercial Farm.”
Responding to the development, Professor Adenike Oladiji expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding FUTA worthy of the intervention. She emphasized the university’s commitment to addressing the issue of food insecurity through advanced agricultural research and commercial production.
“This allocation is a further testament to FUTA’s relevance in tackling food insecurity. FUTA is pulling its weight in the area of providing solutions to food insecurity in the country,” she said. “The vegetable production center of the university is ready to guide interested farmers through the process of planting and nurturing the F1 specie of bell pepper and tomatoes, a specie propagated at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University, which have a lot of advantages over the traditional ones.”
She added that FUTA had doubled the trees in its palm tree plantation and was expanding its greenhouses, noting that the intervention fund would boost its commercial farming efforts for national benefit. Professor Oladiji assured that the fund would be judiciously utilized for its intended purpose.
