In the late ’70s it became clear that our dependence on oil revenue to the neglect of agricultural development was unreliable for national economic and social development. The Federal Government of Nigeria then pumped a lot of money into reviving agricultural activities and productivity in Nigeria. However, it was soon realized that the huge investments in agriculture would not yield the desired results because of an acute shortage of manpower with requisite managerial skills and capability. Consequently, an institute to train and develop the required manpower to manage the many agricultural and rural development projects existing and being planned, became a necessity. In 1980, with the assistance of a World Bank loan, ARMTI was established to satisfy this need.