The Kwara State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has reiterated his support for agriculture and livestock production in order to boost the state’s economy and create more jobs for the teeming youths.
Gov. AbdulRazaq gave this assurance during the official commissioning of Unilorin/CBN GGMAX Integrated Commercial Poultry Farm at Amoyo, in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State.
The Governor, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Communications, Hon. Olabode Towoju, noted that the Unilorin/CBN Comercial Poultry Farm will serve as an avenue to create employment opportunities for the people of Kwara.
“It is exciting to note that Kwara State is committed to maintaining conducive environment for agriculture and particularly livestock production.
“It is our sincere hope that the Unilorin GGMAX Commercial Farm will fill up a huge demand for poultry products and reduce unemployment in the country.
“We look forward to the farm serving as a model for other commercial farmers and institutions in the state”, Towoju added.
Speaking at the occasion, the Oloffa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, emphasized the huge support of the Central Bank of Nigeria, stating that he was also a beneficiary of the bank’s interventions.
The Monarch expressed optimism that “projects like this will compel other farmers to dive deeper into researching for more sustainable means to create a change in agriculture”.
The representative of CBN Abuja, Mr. Edwin Nzelu, appreciated the Vice Chancellor for making the project a reality, stressing further that the VC made the aspirations of the Governor of CBN attainable, as it will also serve as job creation for our teeming youths.
He enjoined other tertiary institutions in the country to emulate the University of Ilorin in the quest to take agriculture to the next level.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Professor Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, stated that the farm is expected to contribute to food security in Nigeria, by bridging the gap between the demand for poultry products and supply by the ban on importation of poultry products.
He said that the farm has the capacity to house 40,000 Broilers and 33,000 layers, a feed mill with an installed capacity of 5 tons/hour, a semi-automated Broiler Processing Unit (BPU) with a capacity to process 1,000 birds/day and a Manure Processing Unit.
In his goodwill message, a former Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, emphasized that the Farm is a ”standingout legacy” project of its kind in the annals of Unilorin, adding that it will boost the much needed Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
