Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),Mr. Nyesom Wike has flagged off the distribution and sale of fertilisers at 50 percent subsidised rates to farmers across the six area councils of the territory.
The event, held on Thursday, September 4,2025,at the Arts and Culture Exhibition Pavilion in Garki, Abuja, marks a key intervention by the FCT Administration to boost food production, stabilise prices and strengthen food security amid rising global costs of agricultural inputs.
Speaking at the ceremony, Wike said the administration procured 550 metric tonnes of assorted fertilizers, including conventional NPK, granular urea, NPK gel and urea gel fertilizers, for onward distribution to verified farmers.
“This initiative is a cornerstone of our commitment to food security and agricultural revitalisation. It comes at the peak of the farming season when our farmers need support the most.
“With these inputs, we aim not only to boost yields but also to cushion the effects of rising food costs on households”, he said.
The minister stressed that transparency and accountability mechanisms had been put in place to ensure the fertilisers reach genuine farmers rather than being diverted to the open market.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to put the inputs to proper use.
“To whom much is given, much is expected. I passionately appeal to our farmers not to sell these fertilisers but to use them to cultivate their lands and feed their families and the FCT at large”, he said.
Wike urged the FCT youth to embrace farming, noting that Abuja is blessed with vast arable land.
“Instead of waiting endlessly for white-collar jobs, our young people should go into agriculture. It is time to return to the farms and produce what we eat,” he advised.
The minister noted ongoing collaborations with international and local partners, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Leventis Foundation(LF), and the World Bank(WB) through its ACReSAL Project.
These, he said, have contributed significantly to farmer training, capacity building, and reclamation of degraded land.
He identified the Islamic Development Bank’s SAP-Z programme and the FCT CARES project as initiatives complementing government efforts to build a sustainable agricultural sector.
Reaffirming the Tinubu administration’s commitment, Wike assured residents of continued support.
“Our ultimate goal is to build a prosperous, secure, and inclusive city that every Nigerian is proud to call home. Improved security in the FCT has already restored confidence and created a safer environment for agriculture to thrive,” he said.
Earlier, the Mandate Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Comrade Abdullahi Suleiman Ango, disclosed that in addition to fertilizers, 3,500 knapsack sprayers had also been procured for distribution.
He explained that only certified farmers were selected to benefit from the intervention, with strict monitoring measures put in place to prevent diversion.
He pledged the Secretariat’s continued alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Wike’s leadership in repositioning the FCT agricultural sector.
Stakeholders and farmers who attended the event expressed optimism that the intervention would help reduce production costs and translate into affordable food prices in the territory.
