The International Veterinary Students Association (IVSA) UNIBADAN organized a one-day excursion on Saturday, 28 June, 2024, for interested members, welcoming them to the new session. The party was to visit chicken processing giants Taghini Foods and the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Oke Mosan, Ogun State.
It was already an impressive lineup of stop-overs, but the experience from each location was priceless.
The group of twenty, including the IVSA UNIBADAN President, Abiola Fasanya, and the IVSA UNIBADAN Senior Exchange Officer, Saheed Ahmed, left the SUB Car Park around 9 am on Saturday for the first location on their checklist on the outskirts of Ibadan.
At Taghini Foods, the party was well received and they were guided through the chicken processing plant with the Production manager and Quality Assurance Officer on site. The facility processes about 20,000 birds everyday, with operations starting around 2 am and running for the rest of the day.
The plant, from offloading bay to packaging units, depicted emphasis on safe slaughter practices, and for the final year students, it was a refreshing Food Hygiene trip. The officials explained the operations involved, along with their measures for quality standards placed throughout the production process.
Taghini Foods is estimated to be a million-dollar investment, and it's safe to say that it is millions of dollars well-spent.
Considering the in-depth interactive sessions and warm reception, Taghini Foods was a joy to visit for the aspiring veterinarians. Time was the enemy, as the jolly group had to get moving to their next stop around noon.
In Ogun State, the group had three options on how they would spend the rest of the afternoon–a boat ride, visiting the Animal House, and a tour inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. Each site held its individual attraction, and after relaxing and taking in the sights, the group made decisions in favor of all three directions around 3 pm.
The eager, aquatic-spirited folks went on the motorized boat ride, while passionate wildlife enthusiasts took off in the direction of the Animal House. The rest of the group headed for the tour of the Presidential Library.
Each attraction held its lure, as the boat crew and the Animal House visitors were treated to different aspects of nature's beauty. But if there was to be a flagship to the outing, the Presidential Library was an outright winner.
It featured a 40-minute walk through the life of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, as the celebrated ex-Head of State and president might just have the most well-documented biography ever. His experiences from childhood through his early years and rise to prominence in the military were on display on one wing of the first floor, while his time post-service, including presidential and diplomatic experiences were displayed on the other wing.
The group took turns taking pictures in the simulation of the Presidential Office and at other locations in the library. Departure was, once again, a difficult affair, as many concluded that the Presidential Library complex deserved a second outing to fully soak up the experience.
At any rate, the IVSA UNIBADAN excursion left its mark on the participants. It's not everyday you get to relish the veterinary practice along with a bit of history, and the trip managed to pull both off.
Post-trip comments came in on Sunday, and the new IVSA UNIBADAN members are even determined to make the most of their memberships. The older members are used to such experiences, but even this was an outstanding success by all accounts.
Safe to say that IVSA UNIBADAN is launching the session on yet another stellar note.
Written by Segun Itakorode.
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