THE Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has sent a circular to all of its directors, deputy directors, assistant directors and other key officers and staff members inviting them to prayer sessions “for God’s guidance and success in supporting Government’s efforts to achieve food security.”
The circular seen by Economy Post was dated June 11, 2025 and signed by Director of Human Resource Development, Ms Adedayo Modupe O.
The venue of the prayer sessions is the Conference Hall ‘B’ FMAFS Headquarters, Area 11, Abuja. The prayer sessions will happen three times this month and on Mondays – June 16, 23 and 30.
The title of the prayer sessions is, ‘Divine Intervention for Protection and National Development.’ The circular was circulated at a time when the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security submitted a 2025 budget filled with frivolous projects, some of which should traditionally be handled by other ministries.
For instance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Headquarters has a 2025 budget of N315.480 billion. Out of this budget, N8.1 billion was set aside for the construction of the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. The sum of N2 bilion was budgeted for street lights in the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, while N3.592 billion was to be used to build feeder roads across the six geoplitical regions of the nation.
Similarly, at a point agro-based nations are ramping up their budgets for food production, the ministry is spending N750 million on the development of its assets nationwide, N237.128 million to monitor and evaluate its own budget, and N1.802 billion on “policy coordination, projects/programmes monitoring and evaluation.”
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, headed by Senator Abubakar Kyari, has budgted N1 billion to electrify two rural geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
Same as before
In the 2024 budget, the zone represented by Nigeria’s Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, got 21 out of 118 projects by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
While Mr Akpabio’s zone got the highest number of projects from the ministry, some food-producing states received nothing, Economy Post analysis of the 2024 budget had shown.
READ ALSO: Agric Budget: Akpabio’s senatorial zone gets 21 projects, food-belt states receive nothing
Akpabio represents Akwa Ibom North West senatorial zone comprising 10 local government areas of Abak, Essien, Etim Ekpo, Ikono, Ika, Ini, Ikot-Ekpene, Oruk Anam, Obot, and Ukanafun. Rural farm roads in Ikono and Abak, two local government areas in Akwa Ibom North West, were constructed in 2024 frm the ministry’s budget at the cost of N1 billion.
There were also constructions of Essien & Etim Ekpo rural farm roads at the same cost of N1 billion. The same projects were repeated at Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Ini, Obot, Orun Anam and Ukanafun, all in Akwa Ibom North West zone at the cost of N3 billion.
Similarly, there were fabrication and lightening of all rural farm roads “with all in one standard solar street light” at Ikono, Abak, Essien, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Ini, Obot, Orun Anam, and Ukanafun at the cost of N2.5 billion.
The Agric Ministry’s 2024 budget also contained an allocation for the construction of Ibiakpan-Akan Road to “boost agricultural output in Akwa Ibom State” as well as the construction of Ikot Uko Road and Ikot Aba Road “to aid movement of fishers produce in Akwa Ibom State.”
Hunger in the land
Agriculture contributes 25-30 percent to the Nigerian economy, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data. The country has 34 million arable land, says the Food and Agricultural Organization (FOA).
However, the arable land is not growing enough food for the nation’s population. About 33 million Nigerians are currently facing food insecurity, according to the UN World Food Programme. The Nigeria hunger data rose from 13.60 percent in 2019 to 22 percent in 2022, according to Marcotrends.
Yet, what concerns the nation’s agric ministry is political prayers, rather than decisive actions to emeliorate hunger in the land.
READ ALSO: Battered By banditry, hard-hit by hunger: Benue, Nigeria’s food basket, battles malnutrition
“It is what it is. The ministry is praying and at the same time stealing frivolous items into the budget to solve the problem,” said an agriculture expert, Dr Christian Abure.
“They had better choose one, use the budget to influence food security or leave the budget entirely for 2025 and continue to pray throughout the year,” he added, sarcastically.
However, the same director of the ministry, Ms Adedayo Modeupe, in a follow-up memo on Saturday, announced a postponement of the exercise until further notice. She did not give any reasons.
