By Faridat Salifu
The federal government says it will reclaim idle silos across the country to tackle post-harvest losses currently estimated at more than $10 billion annually.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced the decision in a statement on Friday, noting that a committee will review contractual clauses and enforce sanctions against defaulters.
Kyari described the abandonment of silo facilities by some concessionaires as “unfortunate,” stressing that strict compliance would now be enforced to align with President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda.
The move follows a high-level meeting chaired by the minister on Thursday with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), led by its Director General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, and other senior officials.
The session focused on reviewing the performance of the silo concession programme, which was introduced to address government’s funding and operational constraints in managing storage complexes.
Ewalefoh said only private companies with genuine operational needs would be allowed to retain facilities, warning that abandoned silos would be retrieved and reassigned.
He also revealed that some concessionaires had defaulted on remitting returns to government coffers, a violation that would no longer be tolerated.
According to the minister, a new committee will be tasked with reviewing contracts, setting evaluation intervals, and ensuring compliance across all locations.
Out of 17 silo complexes concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria has fully complied with financial and performance conditions under three Special Purpose Vehicles.
The ministry’s review showed that several facilities remain in poor condition, with reports of vandalism and collapsed perimeter fencing in Ikorodu and Ogoja.
Kyari said storage facilities are essential to Nigeria’s food security drive, as they help curb wastage and ensure year-round crop availability.
The federal government had previously announced in 2022 that it would concession 19 silos, with expectations of earning N18 billion from the process.
Officials now say oversight will be tightened to prevent further losses and ensure that only competent private operators manage silo infrastructure.
