Prof. Emmanuel Fakoya, an expert in Agricultural Extension and Rural Development at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, has announced the establishment of a ₦1m annual prize to immortalise his late father. The donation was revealed during the university’s 110th inaugural lecture held at the Prof. Oluwafemi Balogun Ceremonial Building.
Fakoya, Dean of the College of Agricultural Management and Rural Development, explained that the award recognises the university’s top Farm Practical Year student.
“I am instituting this N1m annual prize for the university’s best student in farm practical in honour of my late dad, Pa Samuel Fakoya,” he stated.
He added that the initiative, starting at the 34th convocation, will run for ten years. He noted that the prize aims to promote excellence in hands on agricultural training and motivate outstanding performance among students in FUNAAB’s Farm Practical Year Programme.
Following the prize announcement, the inaugural lecture, “Measurement and Scaling: Bedrock of Robust Agricultural Extension Research Analysis,” highlighted the need for a new approach to agricultural policy. Fakoya stressed that interventions must rely on rigorous empirical evidence, not anecdotal accounts, to achieve sustainability. He noted that sectors such as land management and livestock production suffer due to the lack of standardised measurement frameworks.
The Don advocated for a multidisciplinary approach, encouraging collaboration among agricultural economists, sociologists, and statisticians. He proposed that universities should establish specialised centres dedicated to measurement studies to drive innovation. Vice Chancellor Prof. Babatunde Kehinde lauded the lecturer for his scholarly contributions, observing that strengthening research methodology remains pivotal to advancing the nation’s agricultural transformation agenda.
