Agricultural revolution and development programmes will only bring out desired impacts when the federal government provides required funding to the nation’s agric institutes to ensure optimal performance.
Speaking at the commissioning of the ARMTI North West regional training centre, Kaduna on Monday, the executive director of the Agricultural and Rural Management Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara state, Dr. Olufemi Oladunni, said that the institute requires more funding for it to perform better.
“It is only due to the resilience and resourcefulness deployed that the budgetary provision released for one entity is being used to run four campuses and sites and we are already adding another to it today.
“While we are grateful for all the releases and enablement we have enjoyed thus far, I have to humbly appeal that we need more to do more.
“The impact of our rural development initiative alone has been transforming communities all over the nation, our major limitation is funding”, he said.
Dr. Oladunni, who said that the regional training centre promised to accrue positive impact to the agricultural and economic development of the North West region and our country at large, added that full complement of ARMTI services and impact had been brought closer to the people and communities in the North West region of Nigeria with the commissioning, saying that the impact would be more direct and more far reaching.
He attributed the nation’s agricultural development in the past eight years to commitment and support of the federal government to the ARMTI, Ilorin, Kwara state.
He also commended the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, for his constant favourable dispositions to the institute’s proposals, presentations and guidance since he came on board.
“It gladdens my heart to on behalf of the Governing Board, Management and the entire staff of the Agricultural and Rural Management Institute (ARMTI) express a profound gratitude to the Honourable Minister for his great commitment and support of the Institute as he does with every agency under his purview, because it is largely because of his commitment that we are all gathered here today.
“This is evident in his constant favourable dispositions to our proposals, presentations and even guidance where clarifications were necessary in all our dealings with him since he came on Board, and further accentuated by the
The ARMTI boss, who said that management of the institute was encouraged by oversight visit paid to its Ilorin campus by the minister, added that the move had ensured growth in its operations.
“ARMTI’s drive to ensure development of the Nigerian Agricultural sector through capacity building, consultancy and development of different strategies and interventions have continually led to us seeking ways to spread our impacts farther and widen our spread.
“It is to that effect, that just last year we put up an additional component to our Abuja Regional Office training and conferencing facility, a 27-room hostel facility which was inaugurated and commissioned by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar on the 6th of September, 2022.
“In like manner, we pursued and obtained approval to expand our frontiers by opening up regional training centres in all the geo- political zones all around the country and just within the last one year, two are already up and running.
“We are, therefore, so glad that, we are able to kick off the North West regional training centre today.
“These regional training centres are designed to serve the following purposes :
- Increase visibility and national spread of ARMTI and its impact.
- Re-orientation and designing of integrated training programmes tailored to address issues localized within particular community contexts nationwide.
- Deliver training programmes for trainers within each geo-political zones as well as develop methodologies and learning materials for them.
- Lead advocacy and awareness about the importance of capacity building and its essential role in achieving a sustainable future through improved agricultural practices particularly at the regional levels.
- Help State governments through their ministries of agriculture and Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) achieve more in economic development through agriculture.
- Increase and deepen rural/grassroots development through extension of VADI activities across the nation.
End.
