Bola Tinubu agriculture incentives aim to create 21 million jobs, but farmers warn success depends on real implementation
Bola Tinubu agriculture incentives have been unveiled as part of a sweeping plan to attract investment and create up to 21 million rural jobs, but farmers are urging the government to move from talk to tangible results.
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Vice President Kashim Shettima, speaking at the FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum in Abuja, announced the new measures under President Tinubu’s economic blueprint. He called hunger the “great equaliser” and positioned food security as a central pillar of national stability.
The proposed reforms include improved credit systems, large-scale mechanisation, and strategic irrigation to unlock Nigeria’s vast agricultural potential.
Shettima highlighted that the country can irrigate over three million hectares of farmland, yet currently utilises less than 10 percent of that capacity.
“Strategic investment in irrigation alone could triple yields, reduce seasonal dependency, and boost resilience to climate shocks,” Shettima said, urging investors to partner with Nigeria in transforming its agri-food systems.
The Vice President assured stakeholders that regulatory bottlenecks would be removed through single-window land registration platforms and public-private partnerships, positioning Nigeria as “open for business”.
Despite the optimism, farmer groups expressed scepticism over implementation.
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria warned that incentives alone are not enough without real follow-through.
“You can have a policy, but unless it’s implemented, you won’t see results,” said national president Kabir Kebram.
Peter Dama of the Competitive African Rice Forum echoed similar concerns, warning against a “cycle of promises without delivery.”
He noted that several government announcements have failed to materialise into concrete support for farmers, including promised mechanisation tools.
Meanwhile, Chinasa Asonye, secretary of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), said government interventions have done little to assist smallholder women farmers, who are essential to food production.
She criticised the lack of transparency in agricultural spending and the government’s failure to meet the 10 percent budgetary allocation agreed under the Malabo Declaration.
“We’ve seen policies like Malabo, CADI, and WSHADA—none of them are even 30 percent implemented,” Asonye said.
“Until there’s real change on the ground, farmers will continue to struggle on their own.”
Despite concerns, the initiative received praise from regional and international stakeholders.
The EU Delegation in Nigeria committed over €80 million towards value chain development, while the FAO lauded the Tinubu government’s clear priorities and Shettima’s leadership as “visionary.”
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Nigeria’s 2021–2025 National Development Plan, which aims to lift 35 million people out of poverty and create long-term food and nutritional security.
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For now, all eyes remain on the federal government to prove that the Bola Tinubu agriculture incentives are more than policy on paper, and can deliver practical results for the millions who rely on the land to live.
