The National Assembly Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services has declared its intent to allocate zero funding to agencies under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that fail to account for their 2024 budget performance.
This comes ahead of the passage of the 2025 Appropriation Bill.
The committee, chaired by Senator Saliu Mustapha and his House of Representatives counterpart, Bello Kaoje, warned that agencies without their chief accounting officers present for budget defence would not be entertained.
During the Thursday meeting in Abuja, Senator Mustapha emphasised the need for accountability, stating, “When the President came to present this budget, he made it clear that all heads of agencies must come to defend their estimates and should therefore call off any plan to travel.”
The remarks were directed at Vincent Isegbe, Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, who was absent. Mustapha instructed his representative to relay that the DG must appear on Monday, January 20, adding, “We are not going to attend to you. Even if he is coming to make an excuse, he should have been here.”
The committee also expressed concern over the World Food Programme’s projection that 33.1 million Nigerians could face acute hunger in 2025. Senator Mustapha remarked, “Food crisis is what we cannot allow to happen, and we collectively need to avert it.”
Kaoje, referencing President Bola Tinubu’s 2024 declaration of a state of emergency on food security, noted, “We assured the Minister of Agriculture that the two committees would work to enhance the budget and ensure the renewed hope agenda of the President is achieved in food security.”
Several agencies presented challenges during the meeting, National Agricultural Seed Council: DG Ishiak Khalid reported that only 9% of the agency’s 2024 capital allocation was released. He stated, “Without quality seeds, it is difficult to have good yields.”
When asked about partnerships with development organisations, Khalid explained, “They don’t give us funding directly but provide support like flight tickets and accommodations for programmes.”
Nigerian Agriculture Development Fund: Executive Secretary Muhammed Ibrahim highlighted staffing issues and zero release of their 2024 capital allocation, saying, “About 15 months after assuming office, we are yet to have a salary scale. Most staff members are contracted or deployed from other government agencies.”
The committee assured these agencies of its support to secure adequate funding and resolve manpower issues in the 2025 budget. Senator Mustapha reiterated the importance of improved budgetary allocations to agriculture, given its critical role in ensuring food security, economic stability, and rural development.
On October 3, 2024, President Tinubu submitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly, which were passed for second reading on November 28, 2024. Despite concerns over budget releases in 2024, the Joint Committee affirmed its commitment to strengthening agricultural initiatives in alignment with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.