Administrative
Structure and Operation
NAERLS is headed by an
Executive Director who controls the institute administration with a deputy
director, two assistant directors, an institute secretary, heads of programmes,
departments and units. NAERLS has more than one thousand employees distributed
into Academic, Non-Academic and Technical categories.
Basically, NAERLS
carries out research in technology development, transfer, adoption processes
and extension methodology, tools methods and strategies. It collaborates with
other research institutes in Nigeria and outside the country to conduct subject
matter research. The institute also coordinates the production of television,
radio, and documentaries on agricultural activities.
It coordinates
national/zonal agricultural capacity building targeting farmers, policy makers,
investors, students, extension personnel and corporate bodies. NAERLS has
consistently been known for its field problem identification and reporting
especially by international organizations, government agencies, private
investors who are ready consumers of its extension materials (journals,
bulletins, guides, television and radio programmes.
In order to cover
Nigeria better, NAERLS strategically operates six (6) zonal offices. The North
East Office is in Maiduguri; the North West in Kano; the North Central in
Bedeggi, Niger State; the South Westin Moor Plantation Ibadan, the South East
in Umudike, Enugu State and the South-South (which came up in 2013) is
operating from PortHarcourt.
For internal operation,
the institute functions under six thematic programmes (four research and two
extension training and outreach). They are: Agricultural Performance and
Evaluation; Agricultural Extension Researches; Agricultural Economics, Policy
and Resource Management, Agricultural Communication Research; Agricultural
Extension Training and Outreach and Library Documentation and Information
Resource programmes. Above these programmes are professional departments which
include: Agric Media; Agricultural Extension and Economic Planning;
Agricultural Engineering and Irrigation; Crop and Forestry; Food Technology and
Rural Home Economics and Livestock Fisheries. Overall, the programmes and
departments work in collaboration with specialized units such as: Planning
Monitoring and Evaluation Adopted Village and Outreach Centres; Printing Press;
Skill Acquisition and Development Center’ Farm Broadcast Studios (Radio &
TV); Web and Multimedia and Information Communication Technology. The
operational relationship goes further to engage some service support units,
these are: the Public Relations Protocol and Advancement; the Transport and
Transportation; the Residence Procurement/De Process; the Work andMaintenance;
the Resident Internal Audit; the Staff Canteen; the Security and the Store
Unit.
To date, NAERLS has had
ten directors.
The tenth director (current) Ismaila Ilu is an Agricultural
Economist who has served the institute in numerous capacities. Ilu was the
Assistant Director, Extension, Training and Outreach with the immediate past
administration.
The institute has
contributed immensely to the development, promotion and adoption of best
practices like the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), Community- Based
Agric Extension Approach, (Warehouse Receipt System, many labour saving devices
(irrigation/ Grand nut oil processing machines), production and distribution of
more than 3 million copies of agricultural publications and more than fifty completed research reports.
The Vision
To be the foremost
institute for agricultural extension research and capacity development for
effective service delivery increased agricultural productivity, sustainable
agricultural growth and wealth creation.
Mission
Develop, collate,
evaluate, disseminate agricultural technologies and conduct research in
agricultural extension methodologies and policy; and provide leadership in
capacity building of stakeholders to meet the present and future agricultural
and development challenges of the country.
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