The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute [ARMTI], Ilorin is creating a history and this is good news for the Nigerian Agricultural and Rural space.
Today, the 24th day of April 2025, the regional office for the South West was inaugurated. This followed the successful inauguration of similar training centres for the North West in Kaduna.
The South West Centre is located in the Onireke area, a serene part of Ibadan that is conducive for learning.
The concept of regional centres to expand and broaden the presence of ARMTI in Nigeria had been on the drawing board for years but could not be actualised.
The current management of this great centre under the able leadership of soft spoken Dr. Femi Oladunni deserves encomium. The management of this great centre is excited with this feat after the successful inauguration of the North West tegional centre in Kaduna.
The Management has a wider vision to replicate the Regional centres in all the six geo-political zones. This will bring the training opportunities to all Nigerians in the Agro and Rural Development space.
The Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) in Ilorin, Kwara State, was established in 1980 by the Federal Government of Nigeria with a loan from the World Bank.
Its primary goal was to build and strengthen Human Resources Management capacity in the Agricultural and Rural Sector of the Nigerian economy.
The Institute gained more autonomy and power with the promulgation of Decree No. 37 of December 31, 1984, now known as the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) Act Cap 11 Vol. 1 Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.
The centre has remained a centre of excellence for Africa Asian Rural Development Development Organisation, an international organisation based in India. The centre indeed is a pride for Nigeria and indeed Africa. The current Minister of Agriculture, H.E Abba Kyari, is therefore leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the centre gains international recognition. He has therefore promised to render the much-needed support from the Federal to retain the status of the Centre of Excellence.
● Akeju Olagbaju, former Director of Federal Department of Rural Development, contributed this from Abuja.
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