Peculiar CEO, Engr. Adeleke Conducts Gov. Obaseki To Inspect Ongoing Revamp of Edo Agric College

The Chief Executive Officer of Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited, Engr. Lanre Adeleke, yesterday conducted Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State round the ongoing construction at Edo College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi at Ovia North East Local Government of Edo State.

Speaking during the inspection,Governor Obaseki commended the contractor for quality and pace of work despite the heavy downpour, saying the progress so far is laudable.The Edo State College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi is a state owned institution located at Ovia South West 7 years old institution was established by the civilian administration of late Ambrose Ali in 1981, closed by the military governors and reopened by the Lucky Igbinedion administration in 2001.

The school charged with the responsibility of offering Ordinary Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Agricultural Technology, Animal Science, Crop Science, Agricultural Extension and Management temporarily closed on August 2017 by the Godwin Obaseki-led government with a promise to revamping the institution and later awarded to Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited for full upgrade of the college facilities.

Obaseki said the need to prepare and train competent personnel for the agricultural industry, produce job creators and abundant food production through agriculture necessitated his interest to upgrade the institution.

He revealed his government is already collaborating with private sector to ensure needed machineries are put in place for an excellence output.The facilities inspected includes a 240- capacity lecture theatre, college auditorium complex, academic block 1 and 2, an administrative block, college Library, health centre, the mighty centre of attraction college main gate among others.

Engr. Adeleke assured the state government and the people of Edo State of excellence and prime job delivery that will compete with international taste.

According to Obaseki “If agriculture is important to us as a nation, then we must have institutions that prepare and train very capable and competent personnel, particularly middle level manpower for the agriculture industry.

“This is going to be a classic collaboration between the government and the private sector. The Governing Council of this school is 60 per cent made up of those already in the agric business as they will help define the curriculum that will be taught. The school will not be another certificate awarding institution, rather a job creating institution. This is the unique difference, which is why I have taken over two hours inspecting facilities in the institution.

“Our goal is to make sure that every student who has the opportunity and privilege of going through this school automatically gets employed even before they finish their studies here.”He further noted, “The institution that we are building here is of very high quality and standard. We are also recruiting quality people that will help us manage the school and run the programme. In every lecture block, you have two sets of laboratories and the equipment for all these laboratories have already been purchased, full computer laboratories.

“We have done extensive work as accreditation will not be an issue and a problem. We have sorted that out. All we need to do is to finish the physical structures and facilities.

“We are in conversation with some universities in America and one of them is likely to be working with us to design a programme to train agric extension officers or workers. That conversation began three years ago and we are still on it and are very optimistic that the conversation will yield fruit.

“Our special team is working on when academic sessions will begin in the institution. We are spending this holiday to agree on timelines and work plans to enable us to come up with a date when the school will open.”

Expressing satisfaction with the quality and pace of work at the college, Obaseki added, “We are here today and we have seen the massive progress of work despite the heavy rains that have slowed down the pace of work in the last five months. Contractors needed to slow down and readjust their schedule and today, the progress of work is visible for us all to see

“Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited is conglomerate handling all sorts of construction in Nigeria with a prospect to extend operation to advanced countries.