Good news does travel fast and with the successes of the STEP program having travelled far and wide, officials from the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture have visited Oyo State to inspect Fasola Grammar School, the pilot site of the STEP project that has now been extended across all six geopolitical zones of Oyo State.
STEP-Oyo aims to steer younger generations towards agriculture and agribusiness as a career path at an early age and provide them with hands-on experiences required for a lifetime of success in the industry.
The delegation led by Dr. WoleSanni from the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was received by OYSADA DG, Dr. Debo Akande.
Together they visited Fasola Grammar School where they were received by the STEP team and the school management and taken on a tour of STEP-facilitated infrastructure in the school by the STEP program coordinator Mr. AdedayoAdefioye of the IITA and Dr. Akande.
The inspection took in the school’s modern agribusiness training centre where students and teachers are trained on modern agricultural technologies, including production and value addition of agricultural commodities such as cassava, maize, soybean, poultry, and vegetables.
They also toured the ICT centre and the science and home economics laboratories.
Impressed by what he witnessed, Mr. Sanni remarked that the STEP model has set the standard for experiential learning and is raising the next generation of Nigeria’s business leaders.
He asserted that the project is making vital contributions to human capital development and remarked that STEP should be replicated in every state of the federation.
Mr Sanni expressed confidence that the students in the program will make significant contributions to nation building through employment generation and the strengthening of the nation’s food system.
He added that the Vice President’s office will encourage state governors to visit Fasola Grammar School and witness first hand the efficacy of the program with a view to replicating similar programmes in their home states.
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