The Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, in collaboration with Premier Feed Mills, has enlightened secondary school students in Abeokuta, on importance of egg to human health.

At an event organised to celebrate the 2019 World Egg Day, Director of AMREC, Prof. Dorcas Adegbite, represented by the Deputy Director, Dr. Olalekan Oyekunle, stated that the International Egg Commission (IEC) had chosen the second Fridays of October, as a special day to celebrate the importance of egg production and its role in food security across the globe.

Reiterating the essence of the day, the Director stated that the importance of egg to human beings couldn’t be over-emphasised. She described egg “as a highly affordable, excellent source of high quality protein, which is essential to human growth because of its nutritional value.”

She enjoined students to pay close attention to the programme, saying it was a right step in the right direction, while urging teachers to ensure they share the knowledge gained with other students in their schools.

On the purpose of the event, the Convener and Programme Leader, Extension and Adaptive Research of AMREC, Dr. Oluwakemi Irekhore said the Day was first celebrated in 1996. She said the idea behind the day was to raise awareness on the importance of egg all over the world and to appreciate the contributions of egg to the society.

Stressing the economic and nutritional importance of egg, the Programme Leader, Livestock Research, Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR), Dr. Kazeem Bello said, “Egg is a very good source of cheap and high-quality protein, a rich source of Selenium, Vitamin D, B6, B12 and minerals such as Zinc, Iron and Copper.”

Bello enlightened the students on the benefits of egg, stating that it remained a good source of protein for good health.Highlights of the event were an egg race, questions and answers session, and presentation of gifts to winners of the game.