The Kwara State Government has strengthened its partnership with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and other agricultural stakeholders to advance mechanised farming, environmental sustainability and women inclusion across the state.

The renewed commitment was reaffirmed during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Kwara State chapter of AFAN to the Kwara State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes in Ilorin.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Communication Officer of KWACReSAL, Okanlawon Taiwo, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH in Ilorin.

Speaking during the meeting, the State Project Coordinator of KWACReSAL, Shamsideen Aregbe, assured farmers of the state government’s continued support toward improving food production, mechanised agriculture and climate resilience.

He said, “Tractorisation remains a critical component of modern agriculture. Access to farming equipment is essential for increasing productivity and addressing food security challenges across the state.”

He explained that the tractor support initiative introduced last year followed a World Bank-backed intervention and presidential directive aimed at supporting farmers with mechanised farming equipment.

Aregbe acknowledged concerns raised about operational challenges affecting some tractors, assuring stakeholders that efforts were ongoing to determine the condition and operational status of the equipment to enable effective utilisation by farmers.

“We must sustain engagement with farming communities, particularly in addressing challenges relating to flooding, agricultural logistics and food security,” he added.

The project coordinator also stressed the need for gender equality and inclusion in agricultural interventions across the state.

“The inclusion of women is not negotiable. We must continue to encourage and support women to actively participate in agricultural programmes and leadership processes,” he stated.

Earlier, the Chairman of AFAN in Kwara State, Shuaib Ajibola, commended KWACReSAL for its interventions in the agricultural sector, reaffirming the association’s readiness to collaborate on programmes aimed at improving farmers’ welfare and environmental sustainability.

Ajibola disclosed that the association planned to commence an agricultural expo and stakeholder engagement programme across the state following its recent inauguration activities to reconnect with farmers and strengthen agricultural outreach.

“Previous editions of the interventions covered the 16 local government areas of the state and involved stakeholders from different agricultural sectors,” he said.

The AFAN chairman also raised concerns over land use disputes and other agrarian issues affecting farmlands, noting that the development had created anxiety among some farming communities regarding land ownership and rights.

“There is a need for sustained stakeholder dialogue and engagement to resolve disputes and ensure peaceful farming activities across communities,” Ajibola added.

Also speaking, the Project Coordinator of AFAM, AbdulRahman Babatunde, applauded KWACReSAL for its support to farmers, especially in the area of agricultural inputs and mechanised farming.

“ACReSAL provided 100 per cent agricultural inputs to participating farmers last year, and beneficiaries across communities can testify to the positive impact of the intervention,” Babatunde said.

He disclosed that farming activities for the current planting season had already commenced, with farmers actively registering, hiring tractors and preparing their farmlands.

In her remarks, the AFAM Women Leader, Sherifat Ibrahim, advocated increased empowerment and technical training for women in rural communities to enable them to actively participate in mechanised farming.

“There is a need for gender-friendly operational systems and practical training that will make tractor handling easier and more accessible for women and young learners involved in agricultural programmes,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Safeguards Officer of KWACReSAL, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, reaffirmed the project’s commitment to gender equality, women’s inclusion and effective grievance management across all project activities.

The renewed collaboration comes amid growing efforts by the Kwara state government to improve food production and strengthen climate-smart agriculture through partnerships with farmer associations, development agencies and international organisations.

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Again, Nigeria has missed its crude oil production quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries after averaging 1.49 million barrels per day in April, below the 1.5 mbpd benchmark.

Figures from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission showed that the country produced an average of 1,488,540 barrels of crude daily in April, representing about 99 per cent of the OPEC quota. When condensates were added, total daily production rose to 1.66mbpd

Last month, the NUPRC said oil production now averaged 1.8mbpd. However, data released on Tuesday was at variance with the report. The latest data mean Nigeria remained below its OPEC allocation for the ninth straight month since July 2025.

The NUPRC document showed that combined crude oil and condensate production peaked at 1.85 mbpd during the month, while the lowest output stood at 1.46 mbpd. The PUNCH reports that the April figures are an appreciable improvement compared to March, when oil output was 1.55mbpd.

Nigeria’s oil production has struggled for years due to crude theft, pipeline vandalism, ageing infrastructure, and underinvestment in the upstream sector. Although output improved marginally in April compared to March, it was still insufficient to meet the country’s OPEC target, underscoring persistent challenges in ramping up production despite government efforts to boost volumes.

The PUNCH reports that Nigeria’s crude production in March was 1.38 mbpd. While there was a 69,000 bpd increase from the 1.31 mbpd recorded in February, the figure is still 117,000 bpd below the OPEC quota.

The figures for February indicated a month-on-month decline of 146,000 barrels per day, widening the country’s shortfall from its OPEC production allocation. This is the eighth consecutive month the country has failed to meet the OPEC quota since July 2025.

Recall that although Nigeria recorded a marginal improvement in January, when production rose from 1.422 mbpd in December 2025 to 1.46 mbpd, the rebound was short-lived as output fell significantly in February 2026.

Earlier data from NUPRC had also shown that crude oil production weakened at the end of 2025. Production declined from 1.436 mbpd in November 2025 to 1.422 mbpd in December, before recovering slightly in January.

In 2025, Nigeria’s crude oil production fell below its OPEC quota in nine months of the year, meeting or slightly exceeding the target only in January, June, and July.

Nigeria opened 2025 strongly, producing 1.54 mbpd in January, about 38,700 barrels per day above its OPEC allocation. However, production slipped below the quota in February at 1.47 mbpd and weakened further in March to 1.40 mbpd, marking one of the widest shortfalls during the year.

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Fresh data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has shown that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals exported an estimated 1.66 billion litres of refined petroleum products in April 2026.

This came amid mounting tensions in the Middle East and fears of possible disruption to global fuel supply routes following the growing conflict involving the United States and Iran.

An analysis of the NMDPRA’s April 2026 fact sheet by our correspondent showed that the country exported about 513 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol; 534 million litres of Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel; and 615 million litres of aviation fuel within the month under review.

The Dangote refinery is the only major functional refinery in Nigeria that currently produces enough refined petroleum products for both local consumption and export.

This is the first month the refinery has exported such a high volume of petroleum products, especially jet fuel and diesel, indicating the significance of the 650,000-barrel-per-day plant in Lekki, Lagos State.

The combined export volume translates to approximately 55.4 million litres daily. The development comes as the international oil market faces fresh uncertainty over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route, following the failure of the United States and Iran to agree on a peace deal.

Industry experts said the rising geopolitical uncertainty had significantly boosted demand for refined petroleum products from alternative suppliers such as Nigeria, especially as Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia scramble for more secure fuel sources.

The NMDPRA document showed that local refineries operated at an average capacity utilisation of 99.12 per cent in April, with the Dangote refinery accounting for the overwhelming share of production.

The regulator stated that the refinery achieved 100 per cent capacity utilisation “for most of the days in April.” The report also indicated that domestic refineries received 18.37 million barrels of crude oil in April, up from 13.11 million barrels recorded in March.

Findings further showed that the refinery maintained strong export momentum despite increased domestic supply obligations. According to the fact sheet, average daily petrol production stood at 53.6 million litres, while 40.7 million litres were supplied locally and 17.1 million litres were exported daily.

Similarly, diesel production averaged 23.6 million litres daily, with exports accounting for 17.8 million litres per day, more than double the domestic supply volume of 8 million litres daily. For aviation fuel, exports stood at 20.5 million litres daily, compared to the domestic supply of 2.6 million litres per day.

The strong aviation fuel export performance comes weeks after reports emerged that domestic airline operators threatened to shut down over the rising cost of the fuel.

There are reports that Nigeria has become a net petrol exporter for the first time in decades due to rising output from the Dangote refinery. The refinery had earlier exported about 434 million litres of petrol in March after domestic production exceeded local consumption levels.

The latest figures underscore Nigeria’s gradual transition from a major importer of refined petroleum products to an export hub within Africa. It was observed that jet fuel exports may rise further if instability in the Middle East continues to disrupt traditional supply chains serving Europe and other regions.

The Middle East accounts for a substantial share of global aviation fuel exports, with the Strait of Hormuz serving as a strategic transit corridor for crude oil and refined petroleum products. The prolonged disruption in the region has tightened global fuel supply and pushed up prices internationally.

The NMDPRA report also revealed that Nigerians consumed an average of 51.1 million litres of petrol daily in April, slightly above the 50 million litres benchmark estimated by the regulator. Diesel consumption stood at 17.3 million litres daily, while aviation fuel consumption averaged 2.5 million litres per day.

Despite increased local refining activity, petrol prices remained elevated across the country. The regulator attributed prevailing prices partly to international crude oil costs, which averaged $120.55 per barrel during the month, while gasoline costs stood at $1,074.97 per metric tonne.

The refinery, with a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is expected to play a central role in Nigeria’s energy security and foreign exchange earnings as global fuel trade patterns shift amid geopolitical tensions.

As the Nigerian refinery exports petrol, the NMDPRA has continued to issue licences for the importation of petrol.

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