Nigeria’s Agriculture Faces Fresh Political Test as Atiku Questions Tinubu’s Food Security
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has renewed criticism of the Bola Tinubu administration’s agricultural policies, questioning whether government interventions are delivering enough support to farmers, processors and consumers.
Atiku’s latest criticism is centred on Nigeria’s agricultural trade figures, which he said moved from a ₦740.27 billion surplus in the first half of 2025 to a ₦56.13 billion deficit in the corresponding period of 2026. According to him, the reversal represents a ₦796.40 billion deterioration in the country’s agricultural trade position.
The former vice president argued that the figures should trigger a fresh conversation about the ability of Nigerian agriculture to generate export earnings, create jobs and supply affordable food to the domestic market. He also accused the government of failing to adequately address insecurity affecting farmers, high transportation costs and the rising cost of operating processing and manufacturing businesses.
Atiku said Nigeria continues to export agricultural commodities such as cocoa and cashew in relatively raw forms, thereby allowing other countries to capture a greater share of the value through processing. He maintained that greater investment in local processing would help create jobs, increase export earnings and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
He also criticised aspects of the Federal Government’s economic response, including its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) programme, arguing that the cost and availability of conversion facilities have limited the extent to which ordinary Nigerians can benefit from the initiative. He equally advocated a transparent production subsidy for qualifying petroleum products refined locally.
However, the administration has maintained that food security remains a major pillar of its Renewed Hope agenda. In June, President Tinubu said government interventions through the National Agricultural Development Fund and other programmes were designed to improve farmers’ access to fertiliser, strengthen local production and reduce dependence on external food supplies.
The Federal Government also recently reported that agriculture grew by 4.39 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, describing it as the sector’s strongest performance since 2021. It cited initiatives including fertiliser distribution, mechanisation programmes, agro-processing schemes and other interventions aimed at improving agricultural productivity.
The competing claims have therefore placed Nigeria’s agriculture sector at the centre of an emerging political debate ahead of the 2027 elections, with the opposition demanding stronger evidence of improved conditions for farmers while the government points to sectoral growth and ongoing agricultural interventions. The key test, however, remains whether increased production can translate into affordable food, stronger rural livelihoods, expanded agro-processing and sustainable export earnings for Nigerians.
