IITA and Oyo Immigration Service strengthen ties with new agricultural partnership

In a significant step toward advancing agricultural innovation and national food security, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, formalized a new partnership with IITA–CGIAR on 24 November by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The delegation, led by the Deputy Comptroller, Kayode Akano, included P.A. to the Comptroller, Steven Arinde; representative of the Immigration Officers Wives Association (IMMOWA), Temitayo Akinyemi; and President of the Cooperative Investments and Credit Society, Oyo State Command, Segun Olatunbosun.

This MoU is a follow-up to their courtesy visit in September, during which the new Comptroller of Immigration Service, Oyo State Command, Ikechi Ugbogu Nwosu, explored potential areas of collaboration with IITA. During that initial meeting, Comptroller Nwosu shared that the Nigerian government had authorized the Immigration Service to venture into agriculture, a directive that prompted the search for a strategic partner. He emphasized IITA’s longstanding reputation in agricultural research and impact, noting that its innovations have boosted crop productivity and strengthened farmer livelihoods.

In his remarks, Comptroller Nwosu praised IITA-CGIAR’s contributions to global agriculture. According to him, “with the privilege that the federal government granted our agency to venture into agriculture, we hope to work collaboratively to reverse the advancing effects of global warming and climate change. We no longer want to be merely consumers but active participants in attaining food security, and it would be tremendously beneficial to partner with this foremost agricultural institute.”

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