Academic work is hinged on a tripod of Teaching, Research and Community Service; of these, only the teaching component is always affected by any industrial action.
The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale FAS, mni, stated this when he received a delegation from the Netherlands and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in his office on Monday.
Professor Adebowale stressed that collaboration with various institutions with respect to research and community services are fully and actively on course irrespective of the strike action.
He said the University of Ibadan has Memoranda of Understanding with over 200 institutions from all over the world and nearly all the memoranda are active and as such researchers cannot afford to be on strike from research activities.
The leader of the visiting team, Mrs. Marian Peters, Chief Executive Officer, Next Generation Nutrition (NGN), Netherlands, explained that NGN is a frontrunner in offering innovative, sustainable and healthy solutions for feed, food and fertilizer applications with insect ingredients.
She said her organisation is in collaboration with the IITA Business Incubation Platform to receive many student entrepreneurs who are willing to make careers in insect breeding in line with the global trends in the use of insects.
Mrs Peters stated that NGN believes that insects present an opportunity for sustainable nutrition for both feed and food products as well as an innovative opportunity for alternative livelihoods and new sector development including insect rearing.
Other members of the team were Mr. Neils Vanden Bosch, Chief Operating Officer, IITA Business Incubation Platform and Mr. John Amole, Project Lead, NGN-Nigeria.
In attendance were the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Ezekiel Ayoola; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Aderonke Baiyeroju; Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Stella Odebode and the Deputy Registrar, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Mrs. Morenike Afolabi.
