The Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, yesterday chaired a high-level meeting with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) led by its Director General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh. Also present were the Commission’s Head of Legal, Director of Contract and Compliance, and other senior management staff.
The meeting was focused on reviewing the performance of Nigeria’s silo concession programme, which was introduced to tackle government’s inability to fully utilize silo complexes due to funding and operational challenges.
Dr. Ewalefoh stressed that private companies with genuine operational needs for silos should be the only ones allowed to retain them. He warned that “abandoned silos will be retrieved by the Federal Government,” pointing out that some concessionaires had failed to remit the required returns to government coffers.
A new committee is set to be formed to review contractual clauses, assess performance, and establish clear evaluation intervals.
Senator Kyari highlighted the urgent need to revive silo storage facilities as a key measure to reduce Nigeria’s massive post-harvest losses, which he estimated at $10 billion annually. According to him, “storage facilities are essential to our food security drive, as they directly address wastage and ensure year-round availability of staple crops.”
Out of the 17 silo complexes concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria has met all conditions and is performing optimally. The company operates three silo complexes under three different Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
The Ministry’s review process showed that several concessionaires failed to put their facilities into proper operating condition despite earlier agreements. Monitoring visits revealed little or no progress in some locations, alongside reported cases of vandalization and perimeter fence collapse in Ikorodu and Ogoja.
It was further disclosed that many concessionaires defaulted on payment obligations, with only Flour Mills consistently meeting both performance and financial requirements.
The Ministry, working with ICRC, pledged to intensify oversight, enforce compliance, and ensure that only competent private operators handle silo facilities. This renewed effort is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s agricultural transformation agenda to achieve national food security.