Dr. Idris Olabode Badiru Honoured with Excellence in Agric-Education Award at 2025 Agribusiness Lecture
A respected voice in agricultural communication and rural development, Dr. Idris Olabode Badiru will be formally honoured with the Excellence in Agric-Education Award at the 2025 Excellence in Agribusiness Lecture and Award hosted by D Chronicle Media.
The ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at the Olusegun Aganga Hall, International Conference Center, University of Ibadan, beginning at 3 pm. This year’s lecture focuses on the theme, “Growing Beyond Oil: Agriculture As a Key to Nigeria’s Economic Diversification.”
The event will feature keynote remarks from Prof. Olorunfemi Oladapo Ogundele of NISER. Also expected are Mr. Omidokun Oyekunle, Chairman of PAN Oyo State, who will preside over the proceedings, and Special Guests including Bar. Olasunkanmi Olaleye, Oyo State Commissioner for Agriculture, and Dr. Seye Oyeleye, Director-General of the DAWN Commission.
Dr. Badiru’s recognition comes as a tribute to more than two decades of work dedicated to strengthening agricultural learning systems, enhancing rural communication, and improving the quality of life for smallholder farmers.
As a Reader in the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, he has shaped academic training in agricultural journalism, development communication, behavioural change communication, and project evaluation. His classrooms and mentorship have produced extension professionals who now serve in institutions across Nigeria and beyond.
Beyond academia, Dr. Badiru is widely admired for taking research directly to farmers. Through his widely followed radio programme, Farmers’ Forum on Diamond 101.1 FM, he has created a bridge between scientific knowledge and everyday farming realities. The programme has become a trusted platform for practical guidance, innovation updates, and behaviour-change messages for rural households across Oyo State.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, his leadership in crafting rural-sensitive communication materials helped protect farming communities from misinformation, ensuring they retained access to credible guidance on safety, food production, and livelihood continuity.
Dr. Badiru’s impact extends into policy, international development, and agricultural research. He has served as consultant and technical expert on major initiatives such as the World Bank–supported Fadama projects, WAAPP, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). In his current role as Extension Specialist for the PROSSIVA-Yam Project, he contributes to strengthening yam seed systems across sub-Saharan Africa.
He also supports regional agricultural innovation through the Scientific and Technical Committee of CORAF/WECARD, where he provides expertise in sociology and rural development.
Globally, his scholarship has been recognized through appointments such as Senior Fellow of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and Guest Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden. With more than fifty-five peer-reviewed works, Dr. Badiru has helped shape discourse in rural sociology, agricultural communication, and development evaluation.
The Excellence in Agric-Education Award underscores Dr. Badiru’s lifelong commitment to farmer empowerment, institutional development, and knowledge-driven agricultural transformation. His influence continues to shape policies, guide research, and strengthen rural communities across Africa.
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