The University has held its 51st Inaugural Lecture and the 2015/2016 Academic Session Matriculation Ceremony. During the Inaugural Lecture, the need for Nigeria to evolve sustainable local engineering designs that would bring about rapid transformation was stressed. This was the submission of Professor Adeniyi Olayanju, an expert in Agricultural Mechanisation in the College of Engineering (COLENG) of FUNAAB. According to Professor Olayanju, the trio of man, material and machine constitute the wheels of a tricycle that would drive agricultural mechanisation. Therefore, the country needs to have good engineering designs that would be locally-based towards diversification of the non-oil sector.
Themed, “Man, Material and Machine: The Tricycle for Agricultural Mechanisation”, the Inaugural Lecture examined the three factors of production; man as a designer, material either plant or animal that exhibits characteristics that have to be understood before an efficient and effective machine could be built, in order to mechanise agriculture. According to the Don, the raw materials available in Nigeria, such as agro-allied or solid mineral, have peculiar characteristics and qualities, which only local engineers could discover and adopt to meet their design needs, as he made case for local engineering capacities in the design and fabrication of equipment and machinery for the processing of local raw materials.
The Professor of Agricultural Mechanisation in the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the University, has ascribed the poor performance of available equipment to the limited application of process engineering design calculation in the fabrication, which was reaffirmed by a recently-conducted survey by the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), that most of the locally-fabricated process equipment in the country were not based on detailed engineering design calculations and drawings. Therefore, for products of local manufacturers, process equipment and machinery to be integrated into meaningful activities of national economy and acceptance in foreign markets, he advised that deliberate plan should be evolved for continuous improvement in the product design, quality of products, finishing, material selection, cost reduction and product flexibility.
He called on the government to provide incentives and create a conducive environment that would transform science and technology into efficient engineering practice for the country and to also promote local engineering capability in the design and fabrication of equipment and machinery in the processing of local raw materials. The Don also called for virile interaction among the academia, industry and government establishments in the fabrication of process equipment and plants for sustainable industrial development. Professor Olayanju disclosed that his research in the last two decades had focused on the development of agricultural machines with emphasis on the study of engineering properties of agricultural materials and design of processing machines used for the beniseed, small-scale farmers and oil-seed processors, so as to increase their productivity with less drudgery, noting that “beniseed has high economic potentials in Nigeria, both as a source of raw materials for the vegetable oil industry and as a reliable foreign exchange earner”.
According to him, other equipment produced by him to solve some of the many challenges facing agricultural mechanisation include the Vegetable Oil Filter Press, Ofada Rice Thresher, the Modified Grain Cleaner, Garri Fryer, Cassava Chip Dryer, Cassava Pelletiser and a Model Grain Cleaner using Bamboo, which he co-developed with other respected researchers during his attendance of the Technology Training Course in Hangzhou, China while the products of his research had won many laurels during the prestigious National Design Competition in 2004 as well as the National University Research and Development Fairs in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Concluding, Professor Olayanju stated that “education and training form the fundamental factors in capacity building and manpower development, it becomes very important to plan a special design awareness programme, which must take into account such basic deficiencies”, such as low graphic literacy level nationwide, neglect of technical education, absence of qualified and experienced technical teachers and low computer literacy, among others.
Speaking at the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, had stated that the Inaugural Lecture was fourth from the College of Engineering (COLENG), adding that it was the 15th, he would be presiding over as the Vice-Chancellor of the University. The Vice-Chancellor, who is also the President, Association of African Universities (AAU), commended Professor Olayanju for his exceptional performance in the discharge of his duties in the University.
Meanwhile, a total of 3,827 newly-admitted students in the University have participated in the 2015/2016 Academic Session Matriculation Ceremony. Breakdown shows that the matriculated students spread across the 10 Colleges, as follows: College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development (COLAMRUD - 297), College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM - 500), College of Engineering (COLENG - 218), College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM - 408), College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC - 308), and College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT - 515).
Others are: College of Veterinary Medicine (COLVET - 40), College of Management Sciences (COLMAS - 760), College of Biological Sciences (COLBIOS - 307) and College of Physical Sciences (COLPHYS - 474). The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, congratulated the students on their admission, noting that the matriculation ceremony was the fourth he would preside-over as the Vice-Chancellor. He pointed out that the University had witnessed unprecedented growth and development in all ramifications as espoused by its founding fathers, stating that a total of 3,827 students were fortunate to be offered provisional admission, being the highest number in the history of the University. He assured the students that the University would continue to strive within the limits of the resources at its disposal, to make the environment conducive for serious academic activities while cautioning that FUNAAB has zero tolerance for cultism and other social vices.
The Vice-Chancellor disclosed that FUNAAB remained one of the best universities in Nigeria. For quality assurance of its various courses, he noted that the National Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation teams visited all the academic programmes of the University and 96 percent of the academic programmes were accredited. He charged the students to be disciplined, shun examination malpractices, fully utilise campus facilities for optimal academic success, be well-dressed, engage in responsible students’ unionism and be health conscious. The Vice-Chancellor, however, appealed to parents, guardians and sponsors to “take keen interest in the activities of your children and wards, frequently visiting them in their hostels and off-campus residences. Never assume that they are grown-ups. While you pray for them, ensure that they shun bad companies and associations. Encourage them on the path of self-discipline and comportment”.
In a similar development, the Fourth Commencement Lecture of FUNAAB was held during the Matriculation Ceremony, which had Professor Isaac Aiyelaagbe, of the Department of Horticulture, College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT) of the University as the lecturer. The Don challenged the newly-admitted students to win the race of academic excellence in a great University like FUNAAB that is renowned for its high standard. Delivering a lecture titled, “Running to Win: Is the Prize Worth the Price?”, Professor Aiyelaagbe likened university education to the world of an athlete involved in a competitive sports with the sole aim of winning the ultimate prize.
Giving tips on how to win the race, Professor Aiyelaagbe called on the students to have a dream and articulate that dream of running to win by setting a goal by determining to pay the price as success has a price tag and to maximise their time, listen to the ‘coach’, who are their lecturers, compete according to the rules as cheating was never an option, show perseverance and have faith in God, noting that unnecessary distractions were capable of making it impossible for the students to achieve their lofty goals in life.
“I must paraphrase the words of Paul of Tarsus (AD 5-67) “Do you not know that in a race, all runners run, but only one gets the (first) prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”. Having laid out before you the facts and the merits of running to win; having articulated the price and the hurdles to overcome; being fully aware of the state of the nation as we all pine for a positive turn around in our circumstance, it is time to ask the question again; Running to Win: Is the Prize Worth the Price?”, Professor Aiyelaagbe said.
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