The House of Representatives, on Thursday, unveiled plans to investigate the non-release of N174.251 billion intervention funds received from Development Partners to support the National Agriculture Growth Scheme-agro Pocket and the Food Security Emergency Support Loan meant for implementing agencies.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on a matter of urgent public importance sponsored by Hon. Bello Ka’oje, who alleged that the failure to implement already disbursed agricultural intervention funds had prevented Nigeria from accessing about $200 million from the African Development Bank under the Result Based Financing arrangement.
According to the motion, the House resolved to investigate the circumstances leading to the non-release of N55,295,810,075 to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through the National Agriculture Growth Scheme Agro-pocket Project from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation. The sum was part of funds accessed from the African Development Bank to support the National Agriculture Growth Scheme Agro-pocket Project.
The House also expressed grave concern over the non-release of N118,955,186,000 to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the National Agriculture Growth Scheme Agro-pocket Project. The amount, accessed from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, was meant to support 550,000 smallholder farmers with subsidised critical agricultural inputs for rice, maize, soya beans and cassava value chains under the 2025 wet season and the 2025/2026 dry season farming.
Leading the debate, Hon. Ka’oje recalled that shortly after his inauguration, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday, July 13, 2023, declared a state of emergency on food security to address rising food shortages and boost local agricultural production across the country.
“The House is aware that in addition to funding efforts by the Nigerian Government, a lot of agricultural interventions were received through the efforts of several development partners all aimed at boosting agricultural production,” he said.
He explained that sometime in February 2023, Nigeria negotiated with the African Development Bank and signed an agreement for a 25-year tenor loan to support the National Agriculture Growth Scheme Agro-pocket Project for an amount not exceeding $134,000,000. He said the first tranche of $99,665,000 was released to the Federal Government Consolidated Account after deducting a Front-End-Fee of 0.025 per cent.
“The House is also informed that the Federal Ministry of Finance, out of the total sum of $134 million disbursed by the African Development Bank, released the sums of N55,986,301,549.95 and N40,486,800,000 to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security National Agriculture Growth Scheme and Agro-pocket Project account at the Central Bank of Nigeria, leaving a balance of N55,295,810,075 outstanding and undisbursed,” he stated.
According to him, the plan was for the National Agriculture Growth Scheme Agro-pocket Project to honour its obligations to agro-dealers that supplied agricultural inputs to 280,000 targeted registered wheat farmers under the first phase of the 2024/2025 dry season programme, as well as distribute inputs to 150,000 rice farmers under the second phase.
Hon. Ka’oje further informed the House that sometime in April 2024, Nigeria negotiated with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and signed a loan agreement on or about April 24, 2024, for a Food Security Emergency Support Loan for an amount not exceeding 15 million Japanese Yen.
He said the House was informed that on or about March 25, 2025, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency disbursed the sum of 12 billion Japanese Yen, less a Front-End-Fee of 0.025 per cent, equivalent to $78,778,800, representing N118,955,186,000, to the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation as the first tranche.
“The plan is for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through the National Agriculture Growth Scheme and Agro-pocket Project to implement the support for 550,000 smallholder farmers with subsidised critical agricultural inputs for rice, maize, soya beans and cassava value chains under the 2025 wet season and 2025/2026 dry season farming,” he said.
He expressed worry that the respective funds for farm inputs were time bound for the 2024/2025 dry season farming, which had passed, the 2025 wet season, which had also passed, and the 2025/2026 dry season farming, which is currently ongoing.
“This ugly situation has left many farmers stranded for critical farm inputs and consequently reduced agricultural output in the 2025 harvests because the affected farmers could not go to farm during the seasons due to non-supply of critical inputs,” he added.
He further said the House was worried that the funds were accessed from development partners for specific purposes but had been unduly withheld from the implementing ministry and agency by the Federal Ministry of Finance beyond the timeframe for utilisation.
“The House is concerned that failure to release these funds for use to boost our agricultural production means the 2026 farming season will be greatly impacted negatively,” he said.
Hon. Ka’oje also raised alarm that funds of up to about $200 million were pending disbursement to Nigeria by the African Development Bank under the Result Based Financing arrangement but could not be released due to the non-implementation of interventions linked to funds already disbursed.
“The House is convinced that there is an urgent need to investigate the circumstances leading to the non-release of these intervention funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security National Agriculture Growth Scheme and Agro-pocket Project account domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that the investigation would enable the implementation of remaining components under the African Development Bank facility and the commencement of targeted activities under the Japanese International Cooperation Agency loan project from the forthcoming 2025/2026 dry and wet season programmes.
Following the debate, the House mandated its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to investigate the circumstances surrounding the non-release of the intervention funds and report back within two weeks.
