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On food price crash, farmers fault FG’s order as agro-imports hit N2.2tn

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Nigeria’s agricultural import bill soared to N2.22tn in the first half of 2025, drawing strong criticism from farmers, rice millers, and stakeholders who argue that the Federal Government’s policies are undermining local production and worsening food insecurity.

The stakeholders also criticised the recent order by President Bola Tinubu to reduce food prices. On September 11, 2025, it was reported that Tinubu ordered a Federal Executive Council committee to further crash the prices of food items across the country.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, stated this in Abuja, while presenting a paper at a one-day capacity-building workshop for journalists covering the Senate. He said the President’s order would be enforced to further crash prices of food items by ensuring the safe passage of products through various routes across the country.

“I can say it on good authority to you that the President has given a matching order to a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it. On how we are going to promote the safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country.

“We are aware, and I’m sure, as media, you are also aware, there are routes through which commodities are taken before they are delivered. If you know the amount of money that is being spent, you can now understand why those commodities have to be expensive at the point of delivery. So, we are working very hard, and we are doing quite a lot. But I’ve just given you a snippet because I’m here, and I felt we should look at that,” Abdullahi had stated.

But this Presidential directive has sparked criticism from farmers and rice millers, who argue that mere pronouncements cannot override market forces or compensate for poor planning.

“The cost of food will go down if transport costs go down, but that alone is not enough,” the National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, explained. “Our farmers are complaining that the prices are so low that they cannot buy fertiliser. The importation has dealt with our farmers.”

Rice millers push back

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Chairman of the Competitive African Rice Forum, Peter Dama, faulted the government’s approach, saying it risks alienating private operators and discouraging investment. “The President is dealing with private organisations and companies. You don’t just come out and give an order to crash prices. It doesn’t work that way”.

“At best, the government should have called stakeholders in the transport and agric sectors, discussed with them, and provided subsidies.

Pronouncements without engagement will not work.”

Dama warned that persistent importation and lack of subsidies were forcing many farmers to abandon agriculture. “If you don’t provide inputs and only make pronouncements, farmers will quit. We are not in an autocratic government. Stakeholders must be carried along.”

Tractors still undistributed

Beyond importation and price directives, stakeholders also pointed to delays in mechanisation efforts. In July 2024, the government launched 2,000 tractors to support farmers, but more than a year later, none have been distributed.

Ibrahim said farmers were growing impatient. “The tractors have not been distributed yet. They were launched in July, but up to now, no modalities have been given. We need them to support human labour with machine power.”

An official in the Ministry of Agriculture, who asked not to be named due to the lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, confirmed that modalities for distribution were awaiting presidential approval.

“We are waiting for the presidency. The minister has submitted a distribution list for approval. We expect to flag it off soon. But people must understand that such directives take time because they involve trade, finance, customs, and investment ministries. A technical committee will be set up to address stakeholders’ concerns.”

Purchasing power concern

While the government insists that food price crashes will take time, stakeholders maintain that weak purchasing power remains the biggest obstacle.

Ibrahim stressed, “What we are telling the government is that it is the purchasing power of the Naira that is causing problems. Even if food prices fall, people don’t have the money to buy. That’s why you are not seeing any impact.”

His view was echoed by other stakeholders, who warned that without urgent subsidies for inputs and stronger consumer purchasing power, Nigeria risks deepening its food insecurity.

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N2.22tn agric imports

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that agricultural imports stood at N1.04tn in the first quarter of 2025, before climbing to N1.18tn in the second quarter. The second quarter figure represented a 32.6 per cent year-on-year increase from N893.25bn recorded in Q2 2024, and a 14.35 per cent rise from Q1 2025.

Comparatively, the value of agricultural imports in the first half of 2024 was N1.81tn, indicating a 22.65 per cent rise within one year. Despite this surge, food prices remain high, and farmers say government interventions have created distortions that leave both producers and consumers worse off.

The sharp rise in imports followed the Federal Government’s introduction of a 180-day duty-free window in July 2024, which allowed licensed millers and firms with backward integration programmes to import staple foods such as maize, husked brown rice, wheat, beans, and millet without paying duties, tariffs, or related taxes.

The policy, designed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration as a stopgap measure against worsening food inflation, ended in December 2024. While the government said it aimed to crash food prices, stakeholders insist the initiative failed to deliver relief.

AFAN president, Ibrahim, argued that the waiver policy only triggered massive importation without addressing Nigerians’ weakened purchasing power. “There must be a rise in imports because there was a 180-day duty-free window. People rushed to import food, but Nigerians have no money to buy it. Even though prices are going down, purchasing power is low, and that is the reality,” Ibrahim said.

According to him, the unsold food glut now affects both government silos and private warehouses. “Government itself is left with food in silos. They bought rice and paddies, but are they selling? Unless we fix systemic issues in customs, transport, and governance, we cannot get results.”

The fallout from duty-free importation has hit local farmers hard. Ibrahim noted that maize, which once sold for about N60,000 per tonne before the duty-free policy, now goes for about N30,000, leaving farmers unable to recover input costs. “Our farmers are not happy; they are not even back to their farms now because maize prices have collapsed. They cannot buy fertiliser, and the effect is adverse,” he said.

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National Secretary of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria, Chinasa Asonye, highlighted how high input costs and poor-quality subsidised products have crippled production. “Fertilisers and herbicides have become unaffordable. Some of the subsidised inputs distributed were expired and caused more harm than good. Government must subsidise inputs so farmers can produce at a reasonable cost,” Asonye said.

She warned that hoarding by traders and government agencies worsened the food crisis. “Some people stored grains in silos expecting to sell when prices rise, but the reverse happened. Grains bought at N140 per kg now sell for N70, and many are running at a loss. Worse still, some imported rice sold at N48,000 has weevils and is not even edible.”

Way forward

Stakeholders agreed that piecemeal interventions—whether through duty-free waivers, directives to crash food prices, or delayed tractor distribution—cannot sustainably address Nigeria’s food crisis.

Dama cautioned, “Yes, reducing transport costs will bring some relief. But the government must also engage rice millers, farmers, and private investors. Import licences should not replace real investment in local production. If we continue like this, we will never be food-secure.”

Asonye added that small-scale farmers, especially women, face the greatest risks. “If farmers cannot break even, they will abandon production or resort to strike actions. That will deepen the food crisis.”

With agricultural imports climbing to N2.22tn in just six months and local farmers struggling with input costs, storage challenges, and poor purchasing power, the outlook for Nigeria’s food sector remains fragile.

The government maintains that its food price crash directive, mechanisation push, and import substitution efforts will eventually ease the burden on citizens. But for farmers and millers, patience is running thin.

Unless subsidies, infrastructure support, and stakeholder consultations become central to government policy, experts warn that Nigeria’s reliance on imports will continue to rise—at the expense of local production and long-term food security.

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NNPC serviced $3bn loan with N991bn crude – Report

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18 hours ago

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December 6, 2025

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has serviced part of its $3bn forward-sale loan from the African Export-Import Bank with crude oil worth N991bn in 2024, according to its 2024 financial statement report. The repayment was tied to Project Gazelle, a forward crude oil supply agreement signed in 2023.

On August 17, 2023, The PUNCH reported that the NNPC announced it had secured a $3.3bn emergency loan to repay crude oil obligations from Afreximbank. It explained that the loan would be used by the oil company to support the Federal Government in stabilising Nigeria’s exchange rate.

“The NNPC Ltd. and AFREXIM bank have jointly signed a commitment letter and Termsheet for an emergency $3bn crude oil repayment loan,” NNPC said in a statement.

“The signing, which took place today at the bank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, will provide some immediate disbursement that will enable the NNPC Ltd. to support the Federal Government in its ongoing fiscal and monetary policy reforms aimed at stabilising the exchange rate market,” it added.

Under the deal, NNPC committed to deliver 90,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Production Sharing Contract assets to back a funding facility. According to the 2023 financial statement, a drawdown of $2.25bn had already been achieved by 31st December 2023, with principal repayment scheduled to begin in June 2024.

The funding carried an interest rate of 3-month LIBOR plus 6.5 per cent, with a 6 per cent margin and 0.5 per cent liquidity premium.

According to the 2024 financial statement, the drawdown on the facility had reached N4.9tn out of a total available N5.1tn, while N991bn worth of crude oil had been lifted in repayment, leaving an outstanding balance of N3.8tn at the end of 2024.

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The report read, “In December 2023, NNPC Limited entered into a forward sale agreement with Project Gazelle Funding Limited to supply 90,000 bbl. of crude oil per day from Production Sharing Contract Assets for the settlement of a 5-year N2.7tn funding.

“The funding was utilised by the company to finance an advance payment of future taxes and royalty obligations due to the federation on PSC assets managed by the Company on behalf of the Federation.

“As at 31st December 2024, a drawdown of N4.9tn has been achieved from the initial facility of N5.1tn. The interest rate for the facility is 3-month SOFA plus 6.5 per cent while the margin and Liquidity Premium of 0.5 per cent respectively. A total value of Crude Oil worth N991bn has been lifted with a balance of N3.8tn as at 31st December 2024.”

The repayment was made between June and December 2024. However, NNPC did not disclose the identity of the offtakers or exact delivery volumes fulfilled in 2024.

The Project Gazelle arrangement has become one of NNPC’s most significant forward-sale financing vehicles, following a trend of oil-backed loans designed to shore up government revenues, refinance legacy debts, and meet budgetary obligations amid limited fiscal buffers.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the NNPC Ltd is burdened with crude-backed loan obligations estimated at N8.07tn.

The liabilities stretch across multiple forward-sale and project-financing arrangements that are expected to be serviced through substantial crude oil and gas deliveries. The commitments have become a major pillar of NNPCL’s funding structure following years of fiscal pressure, volatile crude production, and declining upstream investment.

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Several of the facilities were used to refinance older debts, fund refinery rehabilitation, support cash flow, and meet government revenue obligations.

When assessed together, the company’s major crude-for-loan facilities—Eagle Export Funding (21,000 bpd), Project Yield (67,000 bpd), Project Leopard (35,000 bpd), and Project Gazelle (90,000 bpd)—represent a combined commitment of 213,000 barrels per day, in addition to separate gas-delivery obligations under the NLNG arrangement.

The volume equates to a sizeable share of Nigeria’s daily crude output, underscoring the long-term implications of these arrangements for government revenue, export allocation, and operational flexibility.

The PUNCH also reported that Nigeria’s gross profit from crude oil and gas sales plunged by N824.66bn in 2024 despite a rebound in oil production, according to figures from the Budget Implementation Report for the fourth quarter of 2024 released by the Budget Office of the Federation.

Data from the report revealed that gross profit from crude and gas sales fell to N1.08tn during the year, from N1.90tn in 2023, representing a 43.32 per cent decline.

The Chief Executive Officer of AHA Strategies and oil and gas expert, Mr Ademola Adigun, earlier linked Nigeria’s declining oil earnings to opaque crude-for-cash agreements and undisclosed loan repayments that have tied up part of the country’s crude output.

He said some of the government’s oil barrels were already committed to debt settlements and forward-sale contracts, reducing the actual volume that brought fresh revenue into the Federation Account.

Adigun said, “Some of our crude is already tied up in loan agreements. The problem is that Nigeria doesn’t know the full details of these transactions because there’s little transparency around them.”

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He explained that several crude-backed projects, such as Project Gazelle, were carried out without proper public disclosure or parliamentary scrutiny.

He added that the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative should strengthen its audits to determine how much of the country’s crude is being used for debt repayment or swap transactions.

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Yuletide: Dangote assures Nigerians of stable fuel supply

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December 6, 2025

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Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, on Friday said Nigerians will no longer experience fuel queues during the Christmas and New Year seasons.

Briefing State House correspondents after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Dangote said his refinery has formally notified the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority of its readiness to deliver 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit daily, far above national consumption.

He said, “Historically, Nigeria has battled fuel queues since 1972. For the first time, we are eliminating those queues, not through imports but by producing locally.

“Even when we were servicing the refinery, there were no queues. I can assure you that queues are now history.”

Dangote stated that the refinery will soon produce surplus volumes, adding that by February, it will supply 15–20 million litres more than Nigeria needs.

This, he argued, will allow exports to neighbouring countries, reducing the incidence of fuel scarcity across West Africa.

The industrialist also disclosed that domestic manufacturers, especially in the plastics industry, will now enjoy reliable access to locally produced feedstock, ending years of reliance on imports estimated at $400m annually.

Dangote also announced an expansion programme that will raise refinery capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2028, surpassing India’s Reliance refinery, the world’s largest, at 1.25 million barrels per day.

“We have already signed the necessary agreements.

“Construction piling begins before the end of January, and we will deliver on schedule,” he announced.

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He revealed plans to scale up the company’s urea production to 12 million tonnes annually, positioning Nigeria to overtake Russia and Qatar as the world’s leading producer.

“Our goal is to use our fertilizer company to supply the entire African continent,” Dangote said.

Dangote attributed the recent drop in petrol and diesel prices to increased competition and reduced smuggling.

“Prices are going down because we must compete with imports.

“Luckily, smuggling has dropped significantly, though not completely,” he explained.

He noted that the refinery business is a long-term national investment, saying, “We’re not here to recover $20 billion overnight.

“The legacy I want to leave is that whatever Nigerians need, fuel, fertiliser, power, we will be part of delivering it.”

Dangote further highlighted logistics constraints affecting Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, particularly the congestion of major ports.

“Apapa is full. Tin Can is full. Lekki is mainly for containers.

“You cannot export coal or copper if you have nowhere to ship from,” he noted.

To curb this, he explained that the Group is developing what would become West Africa’s largest deep-sea port at Olokola, expected to be completed in two to two-and-a-half years.

The Kano-born businessman expressed support for the Tinubu administration’s naira-for-crude initiative, describing it as a patriotic move to strengthen the economy, although he acknowledged pushback from international oil companies.

According to him, “It’s a teething problem, but it will be resolved, either through legislation or administrative action.”

On concerns about global competition, Dangote maintained that the refinery will thrive.

He said, “What we want is to make Nigeria the refining hub of Africa. All African countries import fuel. We want what we consume to be produced here.”

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He also endorsed the government’s Nigeria-first industrial policy and urged wealthy Nigerians to channel resources into productive investment rather than luxury spending.

“If you have money for a private jet, invest in industries and create jobs,” he stated, adding that domestic investors must drive industrialisation to attract foreign capital.

Dangote acknowledged past hurdles, policy instability, smuggling, and factory closures, but expressed optimism that the country is now on a stable path toward sustainable industrial growth.

“Domestic investors must lead the way. Once they do, foreign investors will follow.

“Nobody advertises a good restaurant; when the food is good, word spreads,” he explained.

He described his meeting with President Tinubu as a routine consultation on the economy and business environment, noting that it was “a very fruitful meeting.”

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OPay secures double honours at Tech Innovation Awards

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2 days ago

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December 5, 2025

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Nigeria’s premier financial technology company, OPay, has been named Fintech Company of the Year and Best Fintech in Cybersecurity at the ninth Tech Innovation Awards.

In a statement on Thursday, OPay said the award was in recognition of its innovation and security leadership.

The awards ceremony, held on 29 November 2025, in Lagos, convened top organisations and industry leaders who shape the country’s digital landscape.

Speaking after receiving the honours, Chief Compliance Officer at OPay, Chukwudinma Okafor, said, “These awards are a testament to our relentless pursuit of excellence in fintech and our unwavering commitment to user security. Every innovation we introduce, from secure payments to advanced compliance measures, is designed to give millions of Nigerians the confidence to transact safely. This recognition belongs as much to our dedicated team as it does to the users who inspire us to continually raise the bar for excellence in fintech and cybersecurity.”

Highlighting OPay’s proactive approach to security, Chief Commercial Officer Elizabeth Wang said, “We are incredibly proud to receive both Fintech Company of the Year and Best Fintech in Cybersecurity at the 9th Tech Innovation Awards, two recognitions that highlight our dedication to security and user protection. At OPay, we believe that equipping users with the knowledge and advanced tools is essential to building trust and promoting financial inclusion. This was demonstrated through our OPay Security Vote Campaign some months ago, a dynamic social media initiative that educated users on our in-app security features. The campaign has helped millions of Nigerians understand how to protect their accounts and transact safely, reinforcing that security is central to everything we do. Hence, these awards recognise not only our leadership in fintech but also our commitment to keeping every transaction secure and our customers confident in their financial journey.”

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OPay was established in 2018 as a leading financial institution in Nigeria with the mission to make financial services more inclusive through technology. The company offers a wide range of payment services, including money transfer, bill payment, card service, airtime and data purchase, and merchant payments, among others. Renowned for its fast and reliable network and strong security features that protect customers’ funds, OPay is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and insured by the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation with the same insurance coverage as commercial banks.

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