The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, says it has put in place a plan to establish a farm village to improve the university’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR).
The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Charles Esimone, stated this during the New Yam Festival (Iri Ji ) celebration, organised by the UNIZIK Farmers Association (UFA), held at the School Arena Cooperative, on Friday last week.
He said that the management of the institution under his leadership would provide over 10 plots of land to actualise the project.
According to him, it will serve as a tourist centre that will improve the IGR for the university.
“The design is to have a village setting with a natural ecosystem; set up huts and mud houses only as buildings, have blacksmith spots, palm wine and bush meat joint, among other natural amenities,” the VC said.
Professor Esimone explained that “the festival is a way of showing gratitude to God for a successful planting season before the yam is consumed.
He said for the propagation of Igbo values and culture to be in line with African civilisation is the mandate of the UNIZIK Farmers Association (UFA), even as he eulogised the pioneer president of the Association, Mr Kingsley Ikechukwu Ubaoji, and the members for living up to expectation.
He called on other university management across the country to emulate the project to motivate students towards agriculture.
In his address, the president of UNIZIK Farmers Association (UFA), Mr Kingsley Ikechukwu Ubaoji, said that “the new yam festival is aimed at deepening the Igbo consciousness against food insecurity since the university community is domiciled in Igbo land.”
He described the new yam festival as part of Igbo culture that is sacred.
He noted that the ceremony wiould showcase what the members of the association have done in the 2022 farming season.
“Despite all encumbrances and limitations, we made some modest progress in moving the association forward,” Ubaoji said.
“The association under my leadership has been able to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and we now have 10 different corporate names under the umbrella of UFA. Also, our numerical strength has grown beyond 550 members,” he added.
He called on the South-East governors to collaborate with the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other Igbo renaissance groups to promote the cultural heritage.
Dr Harrison Etaga, from the institution’s Department of Statistics, who was also the chairman, Planning Committee of the Festival, on behalf of the association, thanked God Almighty for a bountiful harvest this year.
“Our gratitude goes to the VC, Professor Esimone, for his promised to allot over 10 plots of land to farmers in the university and for his genuine fight against insecurity around the school community,” he said.
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