By Joy Odor Abuja
The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Abubakar Adamu Dabban, has issued a rallying call to Federal Colleges of Agriculture (FCAs), urging them to intensify training, research, and extension services in line with the Federal Government’s emergency on food security.
Speaking during an official tour of the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dabban commended staff resilience but stressed that colleges must become innovation hubs capable of driving agricultural productivity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We must strengthen research, training, and extension to fast-track innovation, boost productivity, and help Nigeria achieve the SDGs by 2030,” Dabban declared.
He revealed that ARCN is working with TETFund to channel interventions into agricultural research and has revived the review of Conditions and Schemes of Service for research institutes and colleges to improve staff welfare and institutional performance.
Other reforms underway include:
Stronger monitoring and evaluation systems.
Upgraded laboratories, workshops, and infrastructure across institutions.
Mandatory submission of annual budgets, reports, and staff promotions documentation.
System-wide dissemination of new agricultural technologies.
Dabban warned that the Colleges must maintain proper communication with ARCN and show full respect to council staff on official duties.
At the Akure campus, the acting Provost, Prof. Alayande Folorunsho, praised ARCN’s support but raised concerns about land grabbing threats endangering staff and students, while also pleading for the return of ETF and TETFund interventions to bolster capacity.
The ES, however, stood firm: the task before Nigeria’s agricultural institutions is clear, fuel innovation, safeguard food security, and create jobs for the nation.
