BY RICHARD ELESHO
For the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN, family, Monday 9th December 2024 held a special significance. Aside from the general air of the Yuletide occasioned by preparations for Christmas and end-of-year activities, the institute was playing host to the Research Institutes’ Games Association of Nigeria, RIGAN. That was not all. It was the institute’s 60th birthday. Indeed, all roads led to the headquarters of the premier establishment in Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan.
The atmosphere of conviviality broke all class barriers. Men and women, young and old, junior and senior staff and guests mingled freely on the dancing floor wriggling to sonorous music provided by the duo of Kabongo and Wale Victory. An elated Dr. Patrick Adebola, Executive Director, ED of CRIN, was all smiles as he entertained the guests. Those in attendance cut across academia, the business community, traditional rulers, and the political class. Representatives of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abubakar Kyari, and the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, were also in attendance.
The ceremony witnessed a presentation of awards and an anniversary lecture delivered by the Vice-Chancellor, of Osun State University, Prof. O.C Adebooye. Represented by Prof. O.C Nwoye, he discussed the theme “Tree Crops Research for Sustainable Nigerian Economy.” A vital aspect of the program was the exhibition of research products which has been the landmark of the institute’s 6-decade journey in history.
In the Beginning: Brief History/Structure
Indeed, CRIN has come a long way. It was established on 1st December 1964 as an autonomous research institute. It succeeded the Nigerian substation of the defunct West African Cocoa Research Institute, WACRI, established in 1944, which had its headquarters in Tafo, Ghana.
The new institute dared to be different from its inception. Whereas WACRI, its predecessor, had a sole focus on Cocoa, the Nigerian Research Institutes Act No. 33 of 1964, expanded CRIN’s mandate to cover research on kola and coffee in addition to cocoa. Eleven years later, precisely in 1975, the Agricultural Research Institutes (Establishments, etc Act), further added cashew and tea to the crops under its purview.
Recently, in 2024, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, ARCN, disclosed the inclusion of Vitex doniana, aka Black Plum, to the crops of coverage. Today, CRIN has a mandate to conduct research on six crops, namely, Cocoa, Kola, Coffee, Cashew, Tea, and Black Plum all over the country.
The organization’s core mandate on these crops can be summarised as the conduct of research to facilitate their improved production and make them disease-free or disease-resistant. It also investigates their ecology, and effective usefulness, and makes research results available and accessible to farmers and other end users.
To ease and spread the manifestation of its mandate, CRIN has substations in six locations across the country, where the mandate crops have a comparative advantage. They are: Owena (Ondo State) which caters for cocoa, robusta coffee and kola, in the south-west zone rain forest belt, Uhonmora (Edo State) which caters for cocoa in marginal forest areas and Ochaja (Kogi State) cashew and kola:
The remaining three are in Ibeku (Abia State) in the south-east zone and also in the forest belt to cater for cocoa and cashew; Ajassor (Cross River State) for cocoa and Kola in the south-east zone rain forest belt; and Kusuku-Mambilla (Taraba State) for Arabica coffee and tea.
In addition, the institute also has six experimental stations across the country. They are in Okondi (Cross River State) for robusta coffee, Mayo-Selbe (Taraba State) for cocoa and robusta coffee, Ibule (Ondo State) for cocoa, Kabba (Kogi State) for robusta coffee, Ugbenu (Anambra State) for cashew, and Onisere (Ondo State) for cocoa.
Over the years, CRIN has become indispensable in the country’s quest for food security and a major pillar of agricultural research in the African sub-region. To achieve these feats, the institute is organized into eight departments comprising technical research and service delivery.
The departments are Research (R), Farming System Research & Extension (FSR&E), End-Use Research (EUR) and Production & Sub-stations (P&S). Others are Planning Budgeting and Training (PB&T), Library Information and Documentation (LID), Finance and Account (F&A), and finally Administration and Supplies (A&S)
These Departments are responsible to the Executive Director /Chief Executive, who in turn is also responsible to the ARCN and the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The Institute maintains bilateral relationships with international organizations that deal with cocoa and other mandate crops. So also, has linkages with other National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs); state and national agencies through which its technologies are disseminated.
The CRIN Giant Strides
CRIN has been lucky with transformational leadership. From day one, its successive leaders and staff seem to have been in a race to outperform one another in fulfilling the dreams of its founders. There is a strong synergy among the various units gravitating them to the mandate.
When Dr. Adebola, the current ED was appointed in 2020, he immediately set his hands on the plough, picked up the torch, and has since continued on the path of development without looking back. Some of the accomplishments are abstract, while others are visible. Here are some of the facts.
Safety and Security
Conscious that the first responsibility of any administration to the people is the safety of their lives and property, Adebola made this a priority of his focus. The rising cases of insecurity across the country made this more compelling. As a first step, the management approved the engagement of scores of private operatives to boost the existing security architecture. The rangers in their trademark cute uniforms are ubiquitous in the head office.
The security network is equipped with adequate tools, including defensive materials, mobility, and communication gadgets. Their presence on campus is reassuring that staff members and visitors can transact their businesses without let or hindrance.
Industrial harmony
To restore the culture of research, which was comatose before his appointment, Adebola made human capital development the cornerstone of his administration. The new ED instituted a consultative approach to stewardship and kept its doors open to every stakeholder.
The ED whose career landmark has always been strong team spirit and an uncanny ability to find solutions to complex trajectories, commenced the process of settling backlog of salaries, allowances and other welfare issues, some of which dated back to 2002.
Old staff and pensioners were carried along under the ‘staff first’ policy. The style helped in confidence building and fostered unity
among management and staff. As every staff member got his or her due, protests, strikes, and other indices of industrial disharmony became things of the past. The institute is now one big and happy family of staff members dedicated to their duties.
Physical infrastructure
The current administration has brought significant improvement to CRIN infrastructure.
* Elegant perimeter and gate: The first thing that welcomes a visitor to CRIN is its beautiful perimeter fence and gate. Aside from its aesthetics, this demarcates and secures the institute.
* Remodelling and rehabilitation of Admin Block: To make the working environment exciting for all categories of staff, the ED embarked on massive remodelling, renovation, and furnishing of offices in the head office and outstations The administrative block was given a complete turnaround, making it to wear a new look.
* Power and Internet access: Solar lights and generating sets were also installed to boost the power supply. A 24-hour all-round internet access is now guaranteed following management’s upgrade of the bandwidth from 4 mbps to 100 mbps.
* To boost its core research mandate, a model fermentary has been built at the head office. The facility is equipped with modern tools and set to transform the process of fermentation.
* Tapping into his international connections, Dr. Adebola sustained the construction of Cocoa Flavour Laboratory, complete with cutting-edge technology. Constructed in partnership with the World Cocoa Foundation, WCF, the lab is a reference point for cocoa flavours and genotypes research in the continent.
* Good road network: All major roads in the headquarters are nylon-tarred. Failed portions on the road have been rehabilitated. The well landscaped environment makes the headquarters surreal and ideal for rigorous research.
* Establishment of a modern gymnastics centre.
* The mother of all achievements in terms of infrastructure is the ongoing construction of a mega multipurpose hall. The 1,500-capacity gothic edifice is close to completion and indeed beautiful to behold. The hall is expected to boost the revenue base of CRIN. Other efforts targeted at improving Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, include the establishment of a sachet water factory and another for beekeeping and honey production.
Research, innovations, and internal revenue
CRIN scientists have recorded several life-changing research breakthroughs in all its mandate crops. The studies are generally focused on producing early bearing varieties and improved yields for all crops. The institute has developed hybrid varieties of the mandate crops, including cocoa pods, G-series cashew genotypes, and draught-resistant tea genotypes.
Millions of hybrid seedlings have been distributed to farmers all over the country. This initiative has greatly impacted the mandate crops, leading to astronomical increases in their production, revenue generation, and a better standard of living for farmers.
Through painstaking research, CRIN recently developed cocoa-specific fertilizer under the IDH/OCP/CRIN/IITA project. The program is a game changer, with commensurate potential of transforming cocoa farming in all regions of Nigeria.
That is not all. The institute has championed maximising the value chain of the mandate crops. The efforts of its researchers have led to the production of consumer goods along the value chain, some of which are in commercial quantity. These include cocoa powder, soy chocolate, choco-bread, cocoa wine, cocoa custard, yoghurt, and cocoa flakes. Similarly, bathing soap, washing soap, body cream, hair cream, and low-calorie cookies. CRIN recently announced the production of highly hygienic poultry feeds from cocoa pod husks.