The Vice Chancellor of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Prof. Ola-Rotimi Ajayi, has called for increased funding of universities to assist in the Federal Government's agricultural transformation agenda.

Ajayi told the News Agency of Nigeria in Omu-Aran yesterday that the funding would enhance the contribution of the universities in the efforts to revive agriculture in the country.

He said that there were many expectations on universities to arrest the current food insufficiency due to flooding and security challenges.

"We cannot isolate universities in Nigeria from the framework of governance and administration generally.

"Universities in Nigeria as you have them today are biting more than they can chew. The resources to even run the programmes are not there.

"So at what point will they play their roles when they cannot even fulfil the primary roles of teaching, research and development due to inadequate funding?" he said.

Ajayi said that the adequate funding would galvanise the universities to focus on agricultural mechanisation, which is vital to ensuring food security.

"The universities must go into researches and laboratories to improve agriculture and see how mechanised agriculture can be encouraged."