The Federal Government is set to commence the use of the National Identification Number to verify farmers eligible for agricultural intervention programmes as part of efforts to improve transparency and strengthen food production across the country.
The initiative emerged from a meeting between the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Engr. Abisoye Coker Odusote, at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Under the arrangement, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security will work with NIMC to use its digital identity system to confirm the identities of beneficiaries before government assistance is provided. The move is expected to create a reliable national register of farmers and ensure that support reaches those actively engaged in farming and agribusiness.
Kyari said the adoption of the identity verification platform would improve accountability in the implementation of agricultural programmes while expanding opportunities for women and young people participating in the sector.
According to him, the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) will make it easier to confirm genuine beneficiaries of government interventions, thereby reducing cases of abuse and ensuring that grants, farm inputs and other forms of assistance are allocated to qualified farmers and agribusiness operators.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Government has redesigned its subsidy programme to encourage farmers to become self sufficient within a limited period instead of relying on continuous government support.
He explained that beneficiaries would receive full support in the first year, reduced assistance in the second year and would be expected to operate independently by the third year. He added that the approach would allow more farmers to benefit from government programmes while promoting increased productivity and sustainable agricultural development.
Kyari expressed confidence that the collaboration with NIMC would reduce leakages in the distribution of agricultural interventions and contribute to improved food security across the country.
Earlier, Coker Odusote described agriculture as a vital sector with enormous potential to strengthen the nation’s economy and guarantee food availability.
She stated that the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 has reinforced the commission’s responsibility as Nigeria’s primary identity authority, enabling it to provide secure identity verification and authentication services to ministries, departments and agencies.
According to her, integrating the National Identification Number into agricultural programmes would improve transparency, prevent fraud and eliminate the problem of fictitious beneficiaries while ensuring that government resources are directed to genuine farmers.
She added that stronger collaboration between NIMC and the Ministry of Agriculture would also support the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda by improving the delivery of public services through a trusted identity system.
Coker Odusote reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to provide reliable identity verification services that would enhance the effectiveness and credibility of agricultural intervention programmes.
