Okpebholo Signs Bill Renaming Edo School Of Agriculture

 

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has signed into law a bill renaming the Edo State School of Agriculture as the Edo State College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, a move aimed at aligning the institution with global best practices and modern agricultural training.

The governor assented to the bill on Tuesday at the Government House in Benin City after it was presented by the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku.

The amendment is intended to reflect the scientific and technological transformation of modern agriculture. According to the bill recently passed by the Assembly, the rebranded institution will move beyond traditional farming practices to equip students with practical, innovative and technology-driven agricultural skills.

Speaking before the signing, Speaker Agbebaku said the change was necessary to position the institution in line with international standards.

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“Agriculture has gone scientific, we decided to reamend the bill so that we can push agric into the system scientifically,” he said.

“The bill was first named, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, now it has been amended by your instruction to be called College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, because agric has gone scientific.”

Governor Okpebholo described the signing as “a new dawn” for both the institution and Edo State.

He said the new law would strengthen students’ capacity, support the state’s food production goals and create employment opportunities for young people.

“Today, is a new dawn for Edo State College of Agriculture, that the amended law will bring about a lot of improvement in the school and the state would benefit from this development,” the governor stated.

“This amended bill is coming at the right time when every state of the federation is charged with the responsibility of meeting its food consumption rate.

“We want to be able to produce at least 95 per cent of what we consumed as a people, we want to use agric to increase our Internally Generated Revenue.”

The governor added that the sector would also generate jobs through livestock production and agricultural husbandry.

“This sector would educate our youths to focus on the breeding, care, and daily management of livestock to produce meat, milk, fiber, and eggs,” he said.

Under the new structure, the college will operate across three campuses, each with a specialised focus. The Iguoriakhi Campus, which serves as the main campus, will focus on Agricultural Technology; the Uromi Campus will specialise in Forestry; while the Agenebode Campus will focus on Aquaculture.

Agbebaku said the amendments would ensure graduates of the institution are equipped with practical skills capable of driving food sufficiency and agricultural development in the state.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by principal officers of the Edo State House of Assembly and top government officials.

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