The Federal Government has drawn a bold line under years of agricultural mismanagement, declaring an end to the era of “briefcase farmers” and launching a nationwide verification campaign to ensure that only authentic farmers benefit from government interventions.
Speaking during the technical session of the Government-Citizen Engagement Forum in Kaduna, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, announced that the Tinubu administration has adopted a data-first approach to eliminate fraud, scale up food production, and restore integrity to Nigeria’s agricultural support systems.
“We are ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government programmes. No more briefcase farmers,” the Minister declared, adding that the new agricultural reforms are structured to dismantle the elite networks that have long hijacked incentives meant for smallholder farmers.
He stressed that the food security crisis inherited by the current administration demanded a swift and strategic response, one anchored on verified data, modern technology, and targeted policies.
The result, he said, is a comprehensive reform agenda that is already yielding measurable results.
Highlighting the progress under the Agro-Pocket initiative, Abdullahi revealed that over 133,000 hectares of wheat have been cultivated across 15 northern states surpassing the initial 130,000-hectare target with Jigawa State alone accounting for more than 50,000 hectares.
In a further push to revamp rice production, the Federal Government has activated a support plan for 44,500 rice farmers nationwide. This is accompanied by a drive to reform the outdated extension service framework, which currently operates at a ratio of one agent to 25,000 farmers far from acceptable standards.
The government has also begun a mechanisation revolution, deploying 2,000 Belarusian tractors and 9,000 implements flagged off by President Tinubu to expand farming capacity and modernise operations.
“These are not token efforts. They are transformative steps to make agriculture efficient, competitive, and attractive to the next generation,” Abdullahi said.
Beyond crop production, attention has turned to livestock, with initiatives including the development of grazing reserves, livestock villages, transit shelters, and an upcoming national dairy policy aimed at boosting sustainable animal agriculture.
He also announced the completion of three major dam projects Nwabi Yashin, Nwape, and Amla unlocking more than 2,700 hectares of irrigable land. Plans are underway to concession mini-hydro dams to provide off-grid energy solutions to rural farming communities.
To increase resilience and farm productivity, agricultural research institutions have been empowered to release new, improved seed varieties, including tomato lines resistant to the destructive “tomato ebola” virus, along with drought-tolerant maize, rice, and cassava.
“We are laying a durable foundation—reclaiming university farmlands, training women and youths, and dismantling systems that allow manipulation of data and diversion of funds,” he said.
The Minister issued a strong call to action, urging Northern stakeholders to confront individuals sabotaging reforms by gaming the system for personal gain. “This is our opportunity to clean up agriculture once and for all. The time to act is now,” he declared.
