Don Seeks Inclusion of Monotechnics as Beneficiaries of TETFUND

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Provost, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Dr. Ibrahim Lawal, has called for the inclusion of monotechnics across the country as beneficiaries of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in order to aid research as well as infrastructural development.

Lawal while addressing journalists in Ibadan, as part of activities lined up for the 85th anniversary of the College and 76th-83rd combined Convocation ceremony, said it would be unfair to continue to exclude monotechnics as beneficiaries of TETFUND.

According to him, if adequate funding is made available for monotechnics most of the problems confronting the country in the health sector would have become a thing of the past. He disclosed that  the Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan,  has designed some courses with a sole aim of combating terminal ailments as well environmental challenges, maintaining that introducing courses such as Bio-Science and Indigenous Knowledge Science and Bio-Technology comes at the right time as it will provide great opportunity to train and teach the students the potent and usage of herbal medicine.

He said: “There is need for the federal government to enlist the monotechnics as beneficiaries of the TETFUND. With the monotechnics benefitting it would go a long way in helping them towards giving our children the best of education like in our own college which is the hub for protecting environmental issue in the country.

“We are introducing courses that will expose the students to so many things including the importance of herbal medicine and how to take good care of the society. Investment in further research on herbal medicine will serve as succour to the high cost of the conventional drugs in the society.

“We are training students to combat the environmental issue as well researching on the way of combating the climate change and ensuring that flooding and deforestation become a thing of the past in the country.”

Speaking on the scheduled convocation ceremony, Lawal said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he described as a forester, will be delivering the anniversary lecture titled, “85th year of Nurturing Nature: The legacy and future of forestry education in Nigeria”, while illustrious alumni will be honoured with Alumnus Award.

He stated that the six-day event which commenced with Jumat service last Friday and has other activities that include exhibition by departments and novelty match will be rounded up Thursday with convocation and fund raising ceremony.

“We certainly have every cause to celebrate the college in its 85th year of existence. Thus we would have in our midst many important high profile personalities, friends of the environment and people who understand and appreciate the importance of sustaining our forests, people who deeply understand nature and knows that ‘when the last tree dies, the last man on earth dies as well,” Lawal said.