Federal lawmakers drawn from the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Agricultural Production on Tuesday queried the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sabi Abdullahi, over the whereabouts of the 2,000 tractors launched by the Federal Government to boost agricultural production a few months ago.
The minister was questioned when he appeared before the joint committees to present an appraisal of the ministry’s 2025 budget performance and defend its 2026 budget estimates.
President Bola Tinubu had on June 23, 2025 launched the tractors, alongside other agricultural equipment, for distribution to farmers across the country.
However, more than seven months after the highly publicised launch, the tractors are yet to be distributed, raising concerns among lawmakers.
Shortly after the minister’s opening remarks, a lawmaker from Rivers State, Awaji Inombek, demanded explanations on why the tractors had not reached farmers.
Responding, Abdullahi said the 2,000 tractors were procured under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, which he said has three components, adding that one of them is already being implemented through the Belarus Mechanisation Programme.
He disclosed that under the arrangement, the Federal Government procured 2,000 tractors of different capacities, including 85-horsepower and 75-horsepower tractors, combined harvesters, over 9,000 agricultural implements and 12 mobile workshops.
“The question of what is happening to the tractors is a very pertinent one. We are working very hard to put measures in place that will prevent a repeat of what happened in the past,” he said.
Abdullahi recalled that in previous interventions, tractors were often allocated to non-farmers, forcing genuine farmers to pay exorbitant fees to access them, while many of the machines eventually became abandoned or inoperative.
He said President Tinubu had directed that the current programme must ensure tractor services are brought as close to Nigerian farmers as possible at minimal cost.
To achieve this, the minister said the Bank of Agriculture has been mandated to manage the process and has already advertised the programme, targeting three categories of beneficiaries: young Nigerians, women in agriculture and general agricultural practitioners.
“Thousands of people have applied, and they are currently undergoing due process for selection,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that the plan is to establish Agricultural Mechanisation Service Centres across the six geopolitical zones.
“With this model, a farmer with one hectare, half a hectare or two hectares can access tractor services, pay for the service and continue with farming activities, while the operator is responsible for maintenance,” he said.
The minister stressed that the government has moved away from the old practice of allocating tractors directly to individuals, which he said yielded little result and contributed to Nigeria’s stock of over 7,000 dysfunctional tractors.
He added that, unlike previous interventions, spare parts for the newly procured tractors have been supplied, while young Nigerians are being trained to handle repairs and maintenance.
Abdullahi assured the committees that although the process was taking time, the rollout would begin gradually as the rainy season approaches.
“Our target is to ensure that as the rainy season approaches, we begin a gradual rollout. That is what is happening with the tractors,” he said.
He said the ministry’s strategy is anchored on the food security emergency declared by President Tinubu, with emphasis on scaling agricultural output across value chains and strengthening farmers’ resilience.
According to him, despite prevailing financial constraints, Nigerian farmers have shown strong commitment to production, with government surveys indicating marginal increases in output. He noted, however, that sustaining the gains would require addressing structural challenges confronting producers nationwide.
On budget implementation, the minister explained that personnel expenditure under the 2025 appropriation had been largely implemented, but capital project execution had been severely constrained by delayed releases.
For the main ministry, he said about 30 per cent of the capital allocation—representing roughly N18bn—had not been released.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Bello Ka’oje, warned that reduced funding for the agricultural sector could undermine Nigeria’s food security ambitions and weaken economic recovery efforts if urgent corrective measures are not taken.
He described the budget defence as a constitutional responsibility anchored on transparency, accountability and prudent oversight, stressing that lawmakers are determined to ensure public spending translates into measurable improvements in Nigerians’ lives.
Ka’oje said the committee’s review would be guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, with emphasis on how public resources are translated into actionable strategies capable of delivering food self-sufficiency, mechanisation, youth empowerment and import substitution.
His Senate counterpart, Saliu Mustapha, urged the Federal Government to prioritise adequate funding and timely release of resources to the agricultural sector to safeguard food security and support economic growth.
Mustapha said low implementation of capital projects in the 2025 budget had constrained productivity in the sector.
He noted that while total national expenditure is projected to rise to N58.47tn in 2026, allocation to the agriculture ministry declined from N2.22tn in 2025 to N1.45tn, warning that insufficient funding could worsen food insecurity and undermine economic recovery.
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