AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE ACT, 1980

(1) There is hereby established at llorin a training institute to be known as the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (in this Act referred to as "the Institute") which shall have the functions assigned to it by this Act.
(2) The Institute shall be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal and may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

(1) The government of the Institute and the direction of its affairs shall vest in the Board of Governors of the Institute (in this Act referred to as "the Board").
(2) The Board shall consist of-
(a) a chairman and two other members to be appointed by the President;
(b) the Director of the Institute;
(c) the Federal Director of Agriculture and Rural Development;
(d) one representative to be chosen from the University of llorin, Ahmadu Bello University or University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in rotation by the National Universities Commission;
(e) a representative of the Kwara State Polytechnic.
(3) Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person appointed as a member of the Board (not being an ex-officio member) shall hold office for three years and shall be eligible for re-appointment for one further period of three years.
(4) The President may terminate the appointment of a member of the Board (not being an ex-officio member) if satisfied that it is not in the interest of the Institute that the person concerned should continue in office.
(5) Any member of the Board (not being an ex-officio member) may by notice in writing under his hand addressed to the Minister resign his office.
(6)
The supplementary provisions contained in the Schedule to this Act shall have effect with respect to the proceedings of the Board and the other matters therein mentioned.
[Schedule.]

(1) The functions of the Institute shall be to-
(a) provide detailed identification of management training needs in agricultural organisations and of technical employees in the rural sector of the economy and develop training programmes to meet these needs;
(b) carry out training of students in areas identified in paragraph (a) of this subsection;
(c) establish a residential campus at Ilorin and such other place as may be decided by the Board;
(d) establish an audio-visual production unit which shall produce suitable teaching support materials;
(e) promote or undertake any other activity that in the opinion of the Board is calculated to help achieve the purposes of the Institute.
(2) The Institute shall ensure that the training approach to be followed at the Institute shall be highly job-specific and practical and shall utilise modern methods of management skills development usually utilised by similar establishments in order to attain the highest standards.

(1) There shall be an officer of the Institute to be known as the Director who shall be appointed by the President.
(2) The Director shall be the chief executive of the Institute and shall be responsible to the Board for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the Institute.
(3) The Director shall hold office for a fixed term of four years, subject to renewal by the President for only one more term of the same duration.
(4) There may be appointed, from time to time, by the Board such other staff as may be required for the purpose of the efficient performance of the functions conferred on the Institute under or pursuant to this Act.

Service in the Institute shall be approved service for the purposes of the Pensions Act and, accordingly, officers and other persons employed in the Institute shall in respect of their services in the Institute be entitled to pensions, gratuities and other retirement benefits as are enjoyed by persons holding equivalent grades in the civil service of the Federation.
[Cap. P4.]

(1) The Institute shall establish and maintain a fund which shall be applied towards the promotion of the objectives specified in this Act.
(2) There shall be paid and credited to the fund established pursuant to subsection (1) of this section-
(a) such sums as may be provided by the Government of the Federation;
(b) fees charged for services rendered by the Institute; and
(c) all sums accruing to the Institute by way of gifts, testamentary disposition and endowments or contributions from philanthropic persons or organisations or otherwise howsoever.

(1) The Institute may accept gifts of land, money or other property upon such terms and conditions, if any, as may be specified by the person or organisation making the gifts.
(2) The Institute shall not accept any gift if the conditions attached by the person or organisation making the gift to the acceptance thereof are inconsistent with the functions of the Institute.

(1) The Institute may, with the consent of the Minister or in accordance with the general guidelines approved by the President, borrow by way of loan or overdraft from any source any moneys required by the Institute for meeting its obligations and discharging its functions under this Act so however that where the sum or the aggregate of the sums involved at anyone time does not exceed N100,000,00 such consent or authority shall not be required.
(2) The Institite may, subject to the provisions of this Act and the conditions of any trust created in respect of any property, invest all or any of its funds with the like consent or general authority.
(3) The Board may invest any surplus funds of the Institute in such securities as may be approved by the President.

(1) The Board shall cause to be prepared not later than 30 June in each year an estimate of the expenditure and income of the Institute during the next succeeding year and when prepared they shall be submitted to the Minister.
(2) The Board shall cause to be kept proper accounts of the Institute and proper records in relation thereto and when certified by the Board such accounts shall be audited as provided in subsection (3) of this section.
(3) The accounts of the Institute shall be audited as soon as may be after the end of each year.

The Board shall, not later than 30 September in each year, submit to the Minister a report on the activities of the Institute and its administration during the immediately preceeding year and shall include in such report the audited accounts of the Institute.

(1) The Board may, subject to the provisions of this Act, make staff regulations relating generally to the conditions of service of the employees of the Institute and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, such regulations may provide for-
(a) the appointment, promotion and disciplinary control (including dismissal) of employees of the Institute; and
(b) appeals by such employees against dismissal or other disciplinary measure,
and until such regulations are made, any instrument relating to the conditions of service of officers in the civil service of the Federation shall be applicable, with such modifications as may be necessary, to the employees of the Institute.
(2) Staff regulations made under subsection (1) of this section, shall not have effect until approved by the Minister and when so approved they need not be published in the Federal Gazette but the Board shall cause them to be brought to the notice of all affected persons in such manner as it may, from time to time, determine.

No suit shall be commenced against the Institute before the expiration of a period of one month after written notice of intention to commence the suit shall have been served upon the Institute by the intending plaintiff or his agent; and the notice shall clearly and explicitly state-(a) the cause of action;
(b) the particulars of the claim;
(c) the name and place of abode of the intending plaintiff; and
(d) the relief which he claims.

The notice referred to in section 12 of this Act and any summons, notice or other document required or authorised to be served upon the Institute under the provisions of this Act or any other enactment or law may be served by delivering the same to the chairman or the Director of the Institute, or by sending it by registered post addressed to the Director at the principal office of the Institute.

In any action or suit against the Institute, no execution or attachment or process in the nature thereof shall be issued against the Institute, but any sums of money which may, by the judgment of the court, be awarded against the Institute shall subject to any directions given by the Institute, be paid from the general reserve fund of the Institute.

The Minister may give the Board directions of a general character or relating generally to particular matters (but not to any individual or case) with regard to the exercise by the Board of its functions under this Act, and it shall be the duty of the Board to comply with such directions.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
''Board" means the Board of Governors of the Institute constituted as provided in section 2 (1) of this Act;
"chairman" means the chairman of the Board;
"Director" means the Director of the Institute;
"Institute" means the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute established by section 1 of this Act;
"member" means any member of the Board and includes the chairman;
"Minister" means the Minister charged with responsibility for Agriculture.

This Act may be cited as the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute Act