BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department came into being when the University was established on 22nd January, 2002. It started as Department of Animal Production and Aquaculture. Later Aquaculture was removed to form the Department of Fisheries. The first session (2002/2003) took off with a total of seven pioneer students. The number increased to sixteen in 2003/2004 session and twenty-six students during the 2004/2005 sessions. The current enrolment figure is 265 students (2016/2017). The improvement in enrolment led to the recruitment of more Academic, Technical and Administrative staff.

The Department has a livestock section at the University Teaching and Research Farm with facilities for cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits and poultry (broilers and layers) and recently  a weather enclosure and Artificial Insemination donated by L-PRES. The Department also has a feedmill at Michika. Similarly, the State Government has transferred the Poultry Production Unit at Yola to the Department. The PPU is equipped with a feedmill, a hatchery and capacity to housing over 5000 birds. Teaching and Practicals in the Department are complemented with yearly excursion to various Agricultural Establishment such as National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika, Zaria, Obasanjo Farms, Yankari Game Reserve Bauchi, some feed mills in Jos, PPU Gombe, and Bauchi meat factory.

Academic linkages have been established between the Department and University of Agriculture Abeokuta, NAPRI Zaria, and University of Florida in USA.

The Department has two laboratories, namely Animal Nutrition and Meat Science Laboratory and Animal Physiology Laboratory that cater for staff and students’ projects and practicals. The Department has a number of on-going Departmental and individual research projects. In addition to the undergraduate programme, the Department commenced postgraduate programmes (M.Sc. and PhD) during the 2009/2010 session.

MISSION

To produce graduate of the highest moral and academic excellence, pursue policies that will enhance highest standards in the animal production and other fields of human endeavor: to train graduates oriented to utilize modern technological and management tools for societal development; to engage in academic and research activities geared towards poverty reduction, food security employment opportunities, employment generation and raw material production of industries.

VISION

A tower for intellectual development, to train men and women on the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competence in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains in order to equip them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their immediate communities in particular, Nigeria and the world at large.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES

The Bachelor of Agriculture (Animal Production Option) programme has the following objectives:

• To produce graduate farmers who can engage in Animal Production and research that would provide relevant and appropriate solution to the country’s agricultural and rural development problem and improve agricultural productivity in general.
• To produce graduates with sufficient technical, productive and entrepreneurship skills in Animal Production and Agriculture in general who can take employment anywhere in Nigeria in any aspect of agriculture and related areas.
• To produce graduates farmers in the field of Animal Production that are relevant to themselves, the industry and society and who can contribute effectively to national development goals in Agriculture.