Short history of the Directorate

The University Governing Council out of strong conviction and taking cognizance of importance and role of conducive Environment in actualizing the mandate of the University established the Directorate of Environmental Management in 2008 and saddled it with responsibility of developing and enhancing the natural and physical Landscape of the University Campus to achieve a cleaner, healthier, greener and aesthetic environment conducive for teaching, research and well being of the members of the University Community. The pioneer Director was the Late Mr. A.A. Fetuga, while the incumbent Director is Mr E.A. Bankole.

Activities of the Directorate:

In order to fulfill its mandate, the Directorate has two (2) Operational Units which are, Sanitation and Parks and Garden Unit.

Sanitation Unit

The Unit through the engagement of Private Service Provider (Building Cleaning Contractor) sees to the sanitation and cleaning of all the University Buildings, ensuring professionalism by the contractors and strict adherence to details through its supervisory role. The unit ensures the daily picking of liters, sweeping of roads, walkways and de-silting of drainages. As part of its responsibility the Sanitation Unit from time to time also carries out fumigation of buildings and facilities in the Campus.

Parks & Gardens Unit

The Unit is responsible for design, establishment and maintenance of lawns and hedges in the campus. This is achieved through both in-house-sourcing of horticultural plants from the Directorates Horticultural Plant Nursery and out-sourcing from other plant nursery. This singular initiative of raising bulk of our seedlings has saved the University a huge sum of fund, as about 70% of our ornamental plants are raised from the Directorate’s Horticultural Plant Nursery. The Units also see to the continuous establishment of shade trees around building and open grounds within the Campus and this has lead to the planting of over 1,500 shade trees in recent time. The Units with the fleet of machineries and equipment carries out day to day operations in maintaining the campus greenery and also take the Horticultural students both undergraduate and post graduate through practicals in Nursery operations, landscape establishment and maintenance.

The Directorate with effective utilization of the human and material resources available to her has recorded some achievement in the transformation process of the FUNAAB Campus landscape, some of which are listed below;

1. Re-establishment of the FUNAAB Main Gate lawn
2. Establishment of hedges along the Ceremonial Road
3. Establishment of hedges along Senate-COLVET walkway
4. Establishment of hedges along COLENG – Students Centre walkway
5. Landscaping of Directorate of Sport and Health Services Buildings
6. Planting of 1,500 shade trees around the university campus
7. Establishment and planting up of shade trees, hedges and spot plants at the proposed FUNAAB Jubilee Park.
8. Establishment and maintenance of INHURD landscape and planting of 100 shade trees
9. Development of FUNAAB Staff School sport field and establishment of shade trees within the school’s compound
10. Regular fumigation and pest control of student hostels and Offices
11. Routine pest control and fumigation within the campus

Profile of the Director

Mr. E. A. Bankole the current Director of the Directorate of Environmental management, joined the University workforce in April 1995. He is a product of Colleges of Agriculture Akure and Ibadan. He also holds a Masters Degree in Crop Production from the Federal University of Technology, Akure and a Professional Diploma holder in Landscape Design and Management from the Galilee International Management Institute, Israel. He contributed immensely to the transformation of the FUNAAB Environment Landscape, since his appointment first as Administrator, Acting Director and the Director of the Directorate, he has utilized his vast experience in ornamental horticulture to change the face of the University environment through proper landscape design, establishment and management, to the delight and toast of not only the members of the University Community, but also, to the admiration of visitors to the University alike.

Other Achievements

The Directorate among other responsibilities re-established the Nimbe Adedipe Library frontage lawn and planting of its hedges, established hedges along the Ceremonial Road, carried out lawn and hedges enhancement around the Senate building and the fumigation of the entire Senate building.

In our bid to increase the tree plant population on the Campus, the Directorate planted one thousand five hundred (1,500) shade trees around the campus landscape, a wood lot to serve as future relaxation spot was established at the FUNAAB Jubilee Park and further enhancement planting up of the Park.

The Directorate from time to time took both the undergraduate and post graduate students of the Department of Horticulture through practical training in landscape establishment, maintenance, machinery handling and maintenance and labour management. Apart from serving as the Secretariat to the Nigeria Institute of Landscape Horticulturist (NILH) Ogun State Chapter, the Directorate hosted the National Executive Council meeting of the body in 2014.

Another major achievement recorded by the Directorate was the celebration of the year 2014 World Environmental Day on 5th June 2014, during which a public lecture was delivered and in attendance were secondary schools from across the state and an impressive attendance by the University Community. The Celebration was rounded-up with tree planting exercise by invited schools and dignitaries at the occasion.