17th July, 2018
Katsina state government has earmarked N1.5 billion for the take-off of Faculty of Agriculture at Layin Minista in Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU).
Malam Bishir Ruwan-Godiya, the Special Adviser to Gov. Bello Masari on Higher Education, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Katsina.
Ruwan-Godiya said that the amount would cover the construction of lecture theatres, offices, agricultural laboratories, fishery and agronomy departments, among others.
“Already the architectural design of the Faculty has been compiled and handed over to the State Ministry of Works and Housing for ratification by the State Tenders Board for contractual arrangement.
“Other projects to be executed at the Faculty’s site in Layin Minista include; fencing of the area and provision of other infrastructures.
“Plans were underway between the Department of Higher Education and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University to design a master plan for the commencement of academic session in the Faculty.
“The Department has begun consultations to employ professors on agriculture and other staff for the commencement of academic activities in the Faculty,’’ he said.
Ruwan-Godiya gave the assurance that in the next academic session, the university would admit new intakes of the faculty to begin academic activities.
He said that to ensure the full-take off of the faculty, the governor directed the procurement of two tractors to be used at the faculty’s demonstration farm.
The Special Adviser revealed that already the two acquired tractors had been presented to the Management of the University.
The Faculty of Agriculture was transferred to the Southern part of the state because it has fertile land and 80 per cent of the people in the area are farmers.
The faculty was established to boost food production and guarantee food security in the state and the country at large.