By Abbas Nazil
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, has defended the Tinubu administration’s agricultural agenda, assuring that foundational reforms are already producing signs of progress despite lingering challenges.
In an interview on ARISE NEWS, Uzoma dismissed accusations that the Tinubu administration has not made any significant headway in the sector, stating that such claims are “unfortunate and false.”
He argued that the government inherited a sector that was long plagued by inconsistent policy implementation and poor institutional coordination.
Uzoma pointed to previous administrations’ failures to create a unified and sustainable agricultural roadmap, highlighting that programs such as the Agriculture Promotion Policy, the Green Alternative strategy, and the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme faltered due to discontinuity and fragmented governance.
He said each minister introduced a new plan without aligning with their predecessors, resulting in inefficiency and lack of long-term direction.
According to Uzoma, President Tinubu’s administration has taken a fundamentally different approach by aligning federal ministries and agencies to ensure synchronized action.
He said this integrated effort aims to industrialize Nigerian agriculture through clear strategies, improved data systems, and collaborative platforms.
Uzoma also revealed that the administration has already approved an agricultural census to resolve long-standing data deficiencies that have hindered accurate planning and performance measurement.
“We don’t even know how many farmers we have,” Uzoma said, stressing the importance of data to informed decision-making.
In addressing the concerns that Nigeria’s agricultural economy remains largely subsistence-based, he advocated for a shift towards value-added production.
He called for a transformation from mere food consumption models—such as “farm to fork” or “farm to table”—to a more integrated model of “farm to processing, to industry and export.”
He emphasized that initiatives such as the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) and the Nigeria-Brazil Green Imperative program are actively contributing to this transition.
Uzoma highlighted the structural changes in agricultural governance brought by constitutional amendments, noting that agriculture is now on the concurrent legislative list.
This means federal, state, and local governments must now share responsibility and work collaboratively for meaningful outcomes.
To address grassroots concerns, he cited recent federal interventions including fertilizer distribution, input subsidies, and mechanization partnerships as steps aimed at direct impact.
He praised the current cabinet structure, which includes dedicated ministers for food security, crop production, and livestock, as evidence of the administration’s focused and strategic commitment.
Uzoma acknowledged that agricultural progress will not be immediate, but insisted that results will become more visible in the medium term.
He urged the public to evaluate the government based on the quality and structure of reforms being laid today, rather than expect instant results.
“You cannot expect to see in one year what a well-laid foundation is designed to achieve in three to four years,” he concluded, assuring Nigerians that increased productivity and competitiveness across the agricultural value chain are on the horizon.
