Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Minister of state for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, has reiterated that farmers across Nigeria must have access to affordable and high-quality seeds in order of the country to increase its agricultural yield and derive forex from export.

Speaking in Abuja during a meeting with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) evaluation mission team in Abuja yesterday, Abdullahi said seed quality remains the foundation of any agricultural system.

‘This is at the heart of what we do to support the President’s vision for food security. Farmers must and should have access to affordable, quality seed at all times. Our current yield gap as a country is worrisome, but we believe we can do better,’ the Minister stated.

He explained that beyond yield, good seeds should be pest and disease resistant, drought tolerant, and climate-smart.

Abdullahi further noted that such qualities would reduce dependence on agrochemicals, improve nutrition, and enhance the market value of Nigerian produce abroad.

‘We are not sleeping over the challenge of high residues in our export produce. Different countries have different tolerance levels, and we must ensure our farmers have the knowledge and tools to meet these standards,’ he noted.

The Minister acknowledged gaps in Nigeria’s seed system, pointing out that nearly 70 percent of seed demand is met through informal sources.

He however, stressed the need for more inspectors, stronger regulations, and a crackdown on fraudulent practices. ‘There are people who claim to be seed entrepreneurs but supply grains instead of certified seeds. Without proper oversight, our farmers will continue to suffer,’ he said.

Welcoming the OECD mission, Abdullahi assured that Nigeria would continue to align with international best practices and expand opportunities for seed entrepreneurs.

‘We want to do all-year farming, expand irrigation, and develop varieties suited for our environment. Nigeria is the next hope for seed entrepreneurs to look at,’ he said.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr. Fatuhu Muhammadu, highlighted Nigeria’s progress since joining the OECD Seed Schemes in 2023.

He noted that the country now serves as secretary of the OECD Africa Forum and has trained seed system actors from several West and Central African countries.

OECD seed scheme officers Ms. Aurelia Nicault and Mr. Rouillard Christophe in her remarks, commended Nigeria’s commitment to improving its seed system.

‘The OECD schemes contribute to food security goals and sustainable agriculture. We cannot do anything in the future without seed’, she noted.

Nicault added that Nigeria’s membership would boost trade within ECOWAS and beyond, saying: ‘High-quality seeds will not only secure food for Nigeria but also strengthen its economic growth.’

THE Federal Government’s rebuttal of reports of genocide against Christians in the country received a boost on Monday as former British diplomat Mr David Roberts dismissed the report as false.

Roberts, who served as a director of the British Council in Abuja for several years, stated that the country’s security challenges had been exaggerated by Western interest groups and the media, warning against escalating the situation with inaccurate reports.

‘Yes, there are security challenges in Nigeria but those issues have affected the country from the pre-colonial, colonial, and now the post-colonial periods,’ he stated, adding:, ‘Ample evidence exists to show that the Nigerian government is de-escalating the violence.’

Based on a viral video in which a man with a Nigerian accent claimed that over 500,000 Christians were killed in the country last year, Mr Bill Maher, a comedian who hosts the longest-running talk show in the US, Real Time with Bill Maher, asserted that a systematic genocide was happening in Nigeria.

The video was circulated by international X influencers, including Radio Genoa, an anti-Islamic personality, who stokes negative sentiments against the Muslim faith.

However, minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, and a former presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, on Sunday refuted the claims as false.

Roberts upheld Idris’ and Omokri’s rebuttals and contended that the genocide reports were skewed, explaining that both the Christian and Muslim faiths are victims of the age-long violence.

He stated: ‘I lived in Nigeria as a British diplomat and toured the entire country. It is ridiculous for anyone even to suggest that half a million people were killed as part of genocide against Christians in Nigeria by Muslims last year alone.

‘And this is not just some Christian genocide. In fact, more Muslims are killed in these attacks in Nigeria than Christians, a fact highlighted by the Institute for Economics and Peace in their annual Global Terrorism Index.’, he said.

He urged Western nations and their media to be mindful of the reportage in order not to ignite a crisis that will result in a greater flood of refugees from West Africa turning up in Europe through the Mediterranean.

Ondo Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has pledged stronger collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to boost food security, empower youths, and reform land administration in the state.

The governor who gave the assurance on Monday in Akure while receiving the FAO Representative in Nigeria and to ECOWAS, Dr. Hussein Gadain, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit, commended FAO’s interventions since the launch of its programme in July 2024.

He specifically commended the FAO interventions in the area of training farmers, providing advocacy, and deploying GIS tools for forest mapping.

He said his administration was committed to expanding the partnership by allocating land to farmers, engaging youths in agribusiness, and backing projects with budgetary support.

‘Land is a very scarce factor of production. Many people are looking for land for expansion, while new entrants are coming in and the land size remains the same.

‘With land allocation committees at the local government level, ownership will be guaranteed and issues of land grabbing are reduced,’ the governor said.

He stressed the need to prepare younger farmers for the future.

‘Most farmers are getting old. Before they retire, it is better to start training younger ones.

‘We had Youth on Ridges in the last administration where land was cleared and provided for young people to farm. We need to revisit that deliberately and intentionally,’

Earlier, Gadain said his visit was to review FAO’s progress in the state and identify fresh areas of collaboration in line with Ondo’s priorities on food security, climate resilience, and natural resource management.

He disclosed that Ondo is currently benefitting from two Global Environment Facility (GEF) projects – the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) project, and the Biodiversity project covering Ondo, Edo, Delta, and Ogun States.

Both are aimed at restoring degraded forests, conserving biodiversity, and supporting local livelihoods.

According to him, FAO’s interventions in Ondo include establishing a GIS laboratory, reviving extension services, introducing farmer field and business schools, facilitating policy dialogue on land access, and setting up solar-powered nurseries capable of producing over two million seedlings.

He revealed that more than 3,800 hectares of degraded forest have already been restored in the state, while another one million seedlings are to be delivered.

‘Our interventions also align with the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation, which will enhance food security, create jobs, expand export revenue, and strengthen ecosystem services in Ondo State,’ Gadain said.

Top government officials at the meeting included Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti; Chief of Staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa; and Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Engr. Olaleye Akinola, amongst others.

A coalition of civil society organisations, faith leaders, market associations and petroleum consumers on Tuesday stormed Abuja in protest against what they described as a dangerous alliance of cartels and unions seeking to sabotage the Dangote Refinery.

The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON), the Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF), the National Coalition for Market Men, Women and Artisans (NACOMWA) and the Petroleum Consumers Protection Alliance (PCPA), gathered at the Unity Fountain Abuja while they dispatched their grievance letter to

the Presidential Villa, the National Assembly and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Jointly reading a prepared speech during the rally, the coalition said Nigeria was ‘at a critical crossroads,’ accusing the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) of waging an anti-people war to protect its profiteering from fuel imports. The group also condemned the strike threats by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), describing them as a conspiracy to destabilise the economy and deepen the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

‘This is a direct call by PENGASSAN, NUPENG and TUC for anarchy,’ declared Comrade Ibrahim Suleiman, President of COCSON. ‘President Tinubu should hold these people responsible if there is a breakdown of law and order in this country. They should be immediately arrested for disobedience to court order.’

The coalition insisted that the opposition to Dangote Refinery was not about patriotism or sound policy but a desperate move to retain control of a corrupt fuel import system. ‘For decades, Nigerians have been held hostage by a cartel that thrives on import dependency, round-tripping, subsidy scams and artificial scarcity,’ Suleiman said. ‘DAPPMAN’s agenda is to keep fuel importation alive so they can continue profiteering at the expense of ordinary citizens already battered by poverty, unemployment and inflation.’

Echoing his concern, Rev. Dr. Mathew Ayodele, National Chairman of the Nigerian Interfaith Forum (NIF), condemned the planned industrial strike as ‘a dagger to Nigerians’ hearts.’ He said it was immoral for unions to threaten a shutdown of oil and gas operations at a time when families were already struggling to survive. ‘Let us be clear: this is not a strike for workers. It is a strike for cartels. History will not forgive any union that aligns with saboteurs against the very people they claim to represent,’ he warned.

The coalition welcomed the recent ruling of the Federal High Court barring PENGASSAN from stopping gas supply to Dangote Refinery. Barr. Yusuf Danladi, Chairman of PCPA, said the judgment ‘validates our position that the strike threats were never in the interest of workers or Nigerians, but a calculated move to sabotage Nigeria’s refining revolution. The judiciary has spoken clearly: no union or cartel has the right to hold 200 million Nigerians hostage in pursuit of selfish interests.’

Comrade Boma Agbede, National President of NACOMWA, accused the unions of hypocrisy in their attempts to drag Dangote Refinery into their fold. ‘ASUU does not go after Covenant, Baze, Babcock or JABU to force lecturers into membership. NURTW does not compel drivers in GUO, Chisco or Ekeson to join its ranks. NUT does not march into Chrisland or British International School to conscript teachers. So why should Dangote Refinery, a private enterprise built with private sweat and risk, be forced into the grip of PENGASSAN or any union that can shut it down at will?’ he asked.

The coalition painted a grim picture of what Nigerians stand to suffer if DAPPMAN and the unions succeed, warning that fuel scarcity would return, black markets would thrive, transportation would collapse, electricity supply would worsen and inflation would spiral further. ‘It is not just wickedness, it is economic terrorism against the Nigerian people,’ Suleiman declared.

The groups urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Assembly and regulators to stand firm with Dangote Refinery and other indigenous refineries. They commended the President’s commitment to industrialisation but cautioned against yielding to what they described as DAPPMAN’s blackmail. ‘Any attempt to bend will be resisted by Nigerians,’ the coalition warned.

They vowed to pursue a lawsuit against DAPPMAN for economic sabotage and anti-competition practices, organise more rallies in Abuja, and mobilise international advocacy through ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations to expose the weaponisation of petroleum products against Nigerians.

‘You have bled this nation long enough,’ the coalition declared in a warning to DAPPMAN and strike organisers. ‘Nigerians will no longer sit idle while you mortgage our future. If you proceed, we will meet you in court, in the streets and in the global arena. This nation belongs to its people not to cartels, not to saboteurs, not to profiteers.’

Furthermore, the coalition reaffirmed its ‘unwavering support’ for Dangote Refinery as a symbol of energy security, job creation and economic sovereignty. ‘Nigerians deserve relief, not renewed suffering. Nigerians deserve progress, not sabotage. Nigerians deserve energy security, not endless scarcity,’ the speech concluded.