The Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr. Abubakar Adamu Dabban, led a delegation from the Council on a familiarization visit to the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna.

The team was received by the Provost of the College, Dr. Ibrahim Muhammed Awwal, alongside members of the management staff.

In his welcome remarks, the Provost expressed appreciation to the Executive Secretary and his team for the visit. He provided an overview of the college’s current mandate and ongoing activities. Some of the key points highlighted include:
• The college is mandated to train middle-level manpower for the cooperative sector.
• Upon assumption of office, the Provost held a retreat to identify the institution’s strengths, weaknesses, and development needs.
• The college has developed a 2025–2030 Strategic Plan to guide its operations and growth.
• Some facilities and centres within the college—such as the poultry unit and laboratories—have been refurbished and improved.
• Efforts have been made to increase the visibility of the college, including the use of an online portal, and the result-processing system has been digitized.

The Provost also informed the ES that:
• The college is currently facing overhead challenges and severe funding constraints, and these issues have been formally reported to ARCN.
• A waiver is being processed to address urgent operational needs.
• A hall has recently been completed, and contracts have been awarded for the construction of a JAMB CBT Centre.
• Beginning next year, the college plans to commence farming, processing, and packaging of food items, with contractors already mobilized for

Staff representatives explained that the institution is grappling with a major manpower shortage.
• Although the college submitted a manpower budget requesting 132 staff, budgetary constraints reduced the approval to 65, which is inadequate for current academic and administrative operations.
• The total manpower strength stands at 119, which the Provost described as grossly insufficient.
• They appealed to ARCN to intervene and support manpower expansion.

The Provost further suggested the following development initiatives:
• Conversion of the College Clinic into a NHIS-accredited health centre.
• Expansion of the college’s farm produce processing—especially rice processing and packaging.
• Reducing costs on certain projects to achieve better financial management.

The Executive Secretary was accompanied by senior officials from ARCN, including:
• Dr. Nuhu Yusuf, Director of Knowledge, Planning and Communication.
• Dr. Aliyu Shuaibu Madugu, Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics.
• Other supporting staff and officials from the Council.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Abubakar Adamu Dabban advised the college management to continue doing the needful, remain proactive, and ensure effective implementation of their strategic plans. He assured them that ARCN will consider their requests and work towards addressing the challenges presented.