By Faridat Salifu
The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has disbursed N450 billion to 700,000 smallholder farmers across Nigeria, with about 70 per cent of the beneficiaries drawn from the northern region, Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said.
Shettima disclosed this on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving a delegation from Arewa for Tinubu (A4A), a northern-based think tank mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice-President, Shettima highlighted the distribution of agricultural financing among the administration’s interventions in the region.
He said the North had benefited from federal government appointments, projects and programmes, arguing that the region had reasons to consider the administration’s record ahead of the next presidential election.
The reported disbursement comes amid efforts to expand agricultural financing and support smallholder farmers, who play a significant role in Nigeria’s food production.
Access to finance can help farmers obtain seeds, fertilisers, machinery and other inputs needed to improve productivity, while supporting agricultural value chains and rural livelihoods.
However, the figures disclosed by the Vice-President did not specify the period covered by the N450 billion disbursement or provide a breakdown of the amount received by farmers in different regions.
