By Adegoke Oluwatobi
The faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, has officially split into the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources today, the 1st of August 2017 after an inauguration ceremony, which kicked off the activities of the new faculties.
The event was graced by important dignitaries within and outside the University including; the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration); Professor E.A. Aiyelari, the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure; Professor J.A. Fuwape, the Vice-Chancellor, Osun State University; Professor Labode Popoola and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Bowen University; Professor John Akande. The first and only female Dean of the then Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Professor (Mrs) Janice Olawoye was also present.
The Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources would oversee the activities of four departments, namely; Departments of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management, Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, Forest Production and Products, and Social and Environmental Forestry. Departments under the Faculty of Agriculture will include; departments of Agronomy, Animal Science, Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Extension and Rural Development.
A proposal for the splitting of the Faculty was submitted to the Academic Planning Unit, University of Ibadan in the year 2010 during the tenure of erstwhile Dean, Professor F.K. Ewete. It was later approved by the Senate arm of the University for submission to the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja. Afterwards, the NUC approved this move on July 13, 2016, during the tenure of Professor E.A. Iyayi as Dean.
It should be noted that this is not the first of such splits in the faculty as the erstwhile department of Wildlife and Fisheries Management was split into the departments of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management and Wildlife and Ecotourism Management on the 1st of February 2012. The defunct Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Management was created out of the Department of Forest Resources Management in August 1981. More recently, the University Senate approved the splitting of the Department of Forest Resources Management.
The Faculty of Agriculture was established in 1949, a year after the Faculties of Arts, Science and Medicine were established. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was together with the Faculty of Agriculture until 1975 when the former separated from the latter.
The Dean of the defunct Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Professor B.O. Omitoyin has emerged Dean of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, while Professor A.A. Ladele of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development is to oversee the affairs of the Faculty of Agriculture.
©FISHERIES PRESS ORGANIZATION 2017
