By Felix Khanoba
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to inject up to ₦2 billion into each of 40 tertiary institutions to boost commercial agriculture, unlock more than 500,000 hectares of underutilised institutional land and create employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.
The initiative, under the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme, is designed to turn university and polytechnic farmlands into commercial agricultural hubs, strengthen food production and promote the commercialisation of agricultural research.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with heads of the 40 selected tertiary institutions and the management of the Bank of Agriculture to discuss the implementation and operationalisation of the programme.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, Alausa said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to addressing food insecurity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that the programme would tackle the longstanding underutilisation of agricultural land in tertiary institutions by providing the necessary financing, machinery, technical expertise and institutional support to make farming commercially viable and sustainable.
Under the arrangement, participating universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are expected to provide approximately 1,000 hectares of land each, although institutions with smaller landholdings may also qualify based on the strength and viability of their business proposals.
The minister said each participating institution would establish a limited liability company to partner with the Bank of Agriculture, which would provide between ₦1 billion and ₦2 billion in financing for agricultural production and related inputs.
He further disclosed that the programme builds on previous Federal Government interventions through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), which approved funding support of ₦1 billion for some institutions and ₦2 billion for others.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Education had also made provision for ₦20 billion in its capital budget to support 20 tertiary institutions under the agricultural development initiative.
On mechanisation, Alausa said participating institutions would have access to 10 tractors each at significantly reduced costs through the government’s agricultural mechanisation initiative.
Other components of the support package include modern seedlings, farm implements, irrigation equipment, water pumps, fertilisers and technical expertise to enhance productivity and ensure efficient farm operations.
To guarantee markets for agricultural produce, the minister said arrangements would be made with produce aggregators to purchase harvested crops, while measures would also be introduced to minimise post-harvest losses.
He emphasised that the programme was not limited to increasing food production but would establish a sustainable agricultural value chain, with processing and other agro-allied activities expected to feature in subsequent phases.
According to him, agriculture and agro-allied businesses offer significant employment opportunities, particularly for Nigeria’s youthful population.
He said students, unemployed graduates and university alumni would be encouraged to participate in commercial farming alongside academic and non-academic staff and members of host communities.
Their participation, under the supervision of lecturers and agricultural experts, would provide practical experience, promote entrepreneurship and enable them to benefit from the economic returns generated by the farms.
Alausa projected that the initiative could attract investments running into trillions of naira in the coming years, while repositioning tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and enterprise development.
He described the programme as a major step towards making universities and other tertiary institutions active contributors to Nigeria’s agricultural economy rather than relying solely on government funding for their operations.
The Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Adamu Ahmed, welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely opportunity to harness the institution’s extensive agricultural research and production capacity.
He highlighted the university’s established agricultural ecosystem, which includes the Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services and the Faculty of Agriculture.
He noted that the partnership would provide the financing and technical support required to translate research into commercial production, strengthen agricultural capacity and create opportunities for students.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Education for the initiative.
She said the programme would enable the institution to maximise the use of its available land through mechanised farming, strengthen agricultural production and ensure that its land resources were put to productive use.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, Ayo Sotinrin, described the programme as an opportunity to channel sustainable financing into the agricultural potential of tertiary institutions.
He explained that the bank would support participating institutions with financing and market linkages while helping to commercialise agricultural research, improve productivity and create opportunities for students and unemployed graduates.
Sotinrin added that the initiative would enable universities to contribute to food supply beyond their immediate communities while generating revenue from their agricultural investments.
Reaffirming the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to the programme, Alausa assured that the ministry would continue to work closely with the Bank of Agriculture, relevant government agencies and tertiary institutions to ensure successful implementation.
He stressed that the ministry remained focused on translating President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda into measurable results through increased agricultural productivity, stronger institutional capacity, youth empowerment and sustainable economic opportunities.
He said the ultimate goal was to position Nigeria’s tertiary institutions as key drivers of the country’s agricultural transformation and contribute to building a food-secure and prosperous nation.
