Your future in your hands, Prof Salako tells youths

 Damiete Braide

The Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof Felix Salako, has advised the youths to take their future in their hands.

He made this known recently in Lagos during the Funmiayinke Humanity Foundation (FHF) celebration with youths.

According to him, “Agriculture is a big industry in which the youths can key in, noting ‘’if Nigeria wants to get out of this unemployment problem, agriculture is the solution. Agriculture is not the way that many people see it. It is not about hoe and cutlass but it is all about technology, engineering, and research.’’

He observed that each point in the value chain in agriculture is a point where youths can make money, stating ‘’they can be in the point of production, food processing or applied technology. It is not necessarily youths, who studied Agronomy or Animal Science that should be involved in agriculture. Rather, people who studied other disciplines can contribute to agriculture and that is the concept of our university. No matter your career, you can apply it to agriculture. It is a big industry that the youths can make a success out of it.’’

Founder of the FHF, Mrs. Funmilayo Adekojo said the foundation was established to give back to the society, improve the standards of living of those under her care through capacity building and rekindle the hope of the displaced persons.

She said her passion and desire for the vulnerable in society was borne out of deep emotion due to the people who are deprived in the society today.

“The foundation has trained, developed and supported orphans of products of single parents on their choice of career. We have also supported and empowered small and medium scale businesses of young people financially. We have been able to settle medical bills of those who cannot afford them. ‘ We have extended the hand of love by restoring and rekindling the hope of people in the society.’’

Guest speaker, Registrar of FUNAAB, Dr Bola Adekola, in his lecture enjoined the youths to learn from the experiences of others to chart their own cause and shape their destiny. She also tasked them to put their destiny in their hands and learn ways through which they can grow.

‘’They should not allow challenges to hold them back but come up with achievable goals and as they go along the way they should surround themselves with the right people and be inspired. Failure is part of life. When you fail, they should try again.’’