Nigerian scholars have called for improved investment in modern agricultural extension systems as a strategy to boost food security in the country. The scholars spoke during the institution of a memorial lecture series by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in honour of the first Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Prof. Lawrence Onyekele Obibuaku, who died in 2021.
Keynote Address by Adamawa Deputy Governor
Delivering a keynote lecture on the topic, ‘From Vision to Practice: The Agricultural Extension Legacy of Professor Lawrence Obibuaku,’ the Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, Prof. Keletapwa Farauta, stated that the late Obibuaku’s vision about agricultural extension had become important following current challenges faced in the agricultural sector in Nigeria. She identified the challenges as insecurity faced by farmers, climate uncertainty, rising production costs, poor infrastructure and limited access to extension support, stressing that across many states, extension systems had remained underfunded and overstretched and had gone further to defy recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on one extension officer to 1,000 farmers.
Call for Interdisciplinary Approach
Farauta, a Professor of Agricultural Technology Education, urged universities to prepare extension professionals for present realities, stressing that agricultural extension can no longer be taught in isolation from climate science, nutrition, economics, communication, and digital technology. “Extension must be taught in connection with nutrition, public health, climate science and rural economics; for that is how rural people actually live. We must strengthen practical and community-based learning,” she said.
Investment in Modern Systems
She added that Nigeria must invest seriously in modern extension systems, such as digital tools, mobile platforms and climate advisory systems, adding that technology must support human relationships, not replace them. She also said that extension must receive stronger policy attention and funding support, stressing that no “nation can expect agricultural transformation while neglecting the very system responsible for connecting innovation to farmers.”
She added that Obibuaku gave Nigeria a vision of agricultural extension rooted in dignity, participation, practical service and national development far ahead of its time. “Our responsibility now is no longer merely to admire that vision, but to translate that vision into action, rebuild a confident extension service, teach across the old boundaries and keep the farmer at the centre, exactly where he (Obibuaku) placed them,” she said.
UNN Vice Chancellor's Remarks
Speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Uchenna Ortuanya, stated that Obibuaku, a professor of Agricultural Extension, laid a strong foundation for teaching, research and community engagement. According to him, his work was not confined to the classroom but extended to the fields, the communities and the lives of farmers whose realities he sought to transform through knowledge and empowerment. “What distinguished Professor Obibuaku was not only what he knew, but what he believed, that agricultural extension must be farmer-centred, knowledge driven and socially responsive. He understood, long before it became widely acknowledged, that sustainable agricultural development requires more than increasing yields; it requires improving livelihoods, enhancing nutrition and strengthening human capacity,” he said.
He stated that the memorial lecture was not only a “commemorative event,” but also to “revisit the principles that guided Professor Obibuaku’s work and to examine their relevance in addressing the pressing challenges of our time, such as climate change, food insecurity, rural poverty and the urgent need for resilient and inclusive food systems.” Ortuanya said the university was committed to upholding and advancing the ideas that he passionately championed, the interdisciplinary approaches in addressing complex development challenges, particularly at the intersection of agriculture, nutrition and health.
He emphasised that even in his passing in 2021, his legacy continues to inspire, noting the remarkable gesture of the donation of a state-of-the-art Department Building Complex by his family as a powerful testament to his lifelong dedication to education, human development and national progress.
Other Dignitaries' Contributions
Enugu State Commissioning for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Dr. Patrick Uburu, said that Obibuaku’s vision had contributed to elevating the awareness of agricultural extension research in Nigeria. He stated that despite Nigeria’s strong policy emphasis on food security and agricultural commercialisation, extension services have remained weak in the value chains, adding that farmers require support on crop production, market access, mechanisation, among others. He recommended that Nigeria must modernise agricultural extension by investing in digital advisory systems, recruiting younger extension professionals and strengthening public-private community partnerships.
Also speaking, the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. John Eze, noted that Obibuaku was among those who pioneered the entrenchment of agricultural extension programmes to the National Universities Commission (NIC), saying he contributed enormously to the advancement of extension services to Nigerian farmers, which resulted in food surplus and security some decades ago. He, however, lamented that “our foods are no longer available and secured,” attributing it to security challenges and economic hardship.
Family's Appreciation and Legacy
Receiving a posthumous award from the department on behalf of late Obibuaku, his son, Dr. Ordu Obibuaku, appreciated the department for the memorial lecture. He described his father as a “distinguished academic,” saying he authored over 65 publications. He said the donation of the Department Building was in response to their father’s love for education, vision, patriotism and giving back to the society. “We are proud to carry his name. We hope that through our lives and through this memorial lecture, his legacy of academic excellence and unwavering integrity continues to inspire future generations,” Ordu stated.
Earlier, the Head of Department of Agricultural Extension, Prof. Jane Mbolle Chad, said the memorial lecture was intended to become a pillar, a recurring moment of reflection, scholarship and renewal that future heads of the department, students and scholars would look forward to. She said that the late Obibuaku was not merely a scholar but an “architect of possibility,” stressing that he laid strong foundations for the department to stand. She promised that the department building complex donated by his children would serve as a powerhouse for the future, a centre from which new ideas in climate, smart agriculture, digital extension and farmer-centred innovation would radiate across Nigeria and beyond.
