The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi, has announced a significant improvement in security across parts of northern Nigeria, allowing many displaced farmers to return to their farmlands after years of abandonment.
Speaking in an interview reported by AgroNigeria, Sen. Sabi, a former senator for Niger North, highlighted the situation in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, where markets had been shut down for over a decade due to insecurity.
“Those markets are now open, and dry season farming has resumed in many areas that were once inaccessible,” he said.
The minister attributed the security gains to revised tactics implemented by security forces following direct orders from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While praising the resilience of Nigerian farmers, he acknowledged that parts of Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa states still face persistent violence, displacements, and herder-farmer clashes, making farming activities risky in those regions.
To tackle the ongoing food crisis, Sabi said the government is prioritizing increased local production over importation.
“In 2023, we planted over 20 hectares of wheat across 16 states. This year, we’ve scaled that up to 220 hectares,” he noted.
The ministry is also expanding both rainy and dry season farming, improving storage logistics, and introducing mechanization.
New equipment is being delivered to zonal service centers where farmers can rent machines at affordable rates, tracked digitally for maintenance. “Access, not ownership, is the goal,” he explained.
On fertilizer, he revealed the launch of a national soil training program to ensure efficient and tailored use based on soil and crop types rather than a blanket subsidy model.
Sabi further defended the fuel subsidy removal by President Tinubu, calling it a tough but necessary decision, insisting the savings are being channeled into infrastructure development.
However, he admitted that despite these efforts, rural communities still face significant challenges, including insecurity, hunger, and inflation.
While the government pushes for full food sufficiency and modernized farming, many Nigerians—especially those in conflict-affected areas—continue to demand more immediate solutions to their day-to-day survival.
