Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of undermining Nigeria’s agricultural sector, blaming the government for declining export earnings, insecurity and rising production costs.
Atiku said the administration had failed to deliver on its promise of building a productive economy, arguing that Nigeria continued to export raw agricultural commodities while losing the jobs and revenue that could be generated through domestic processing.
He made the remarks in a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
Atiku cited recent trade figures showing that Nigeria’s agricultural trade position moved from a N740.27 billion surplus in the first half of 2025 to a N56.13 billion deficit in the corresponding period of 2026.
He described the N796.40 billion reversal as evidence of worsening conditions in the agricultural sector, noting that agricultural exports declined by 33.3 per cent, despite a fall in imports.
“The excuse that Nigerians simply imported too much will not stand. Tinubu’s government must answer for the collapse in what Nigeria sold to the world.
“The country is losing export earnings, and the President owes farmers, workers and businesses more than another speech about prosperity,” Atiku said.
He questioned what the administration had done to improve security for farmers, reduce the cost of transporting agricultural produce, support processing companies and make Nigerian products more competitive in international markets.
Atiku also criticised Nigeria’s continued dependence on the export of unprocessed agricultural commodities, citing cashew nuts in shell and cocoa beans among the country’s major agricultural exports.
According to him, Nigeria loses significant economic value when raw commodities are exported for processing elsewhere.
“We grow the crop. Someone else does more of the processing, builds a business around it and earns the larger return. Then Tinubu speaks of jobs while Nigerian factories struggle to compete,” he said.
The former vice president said his proposed production subsidy for petroleum products refined in Nigeria was designed to keep more value within the country.
He said the proposed scheme would cover qualifying products from Nigerian refineries, including modular refineries, while imported products would be excluded. He added that the subsidy would be capped, budgeted and independently audited.
Atiku also described the Tinubu administration’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative as an ineffective relief measure, arguing that the cost of vehicle conversion remained unaffordable for many Nigerians.
He said limited access to conversion kits and the unavailability of some buses presented as palliatives had further weakened the impact of the programme.
“Local refining is about more than the price at the petrol pump. Aviation fuel affects fares. LPG affects the cost of cooking. Petroleum products and feedstocks affect industries and the people they employ,” Atiku said.
He promised that, if elected president, his administration would prioritise domestic production, processing and refining while supporting farmers and manufacturers.
“My administration will begin restoring a transparent production subsidy from Day One. We will back farmers and processors with the same determination.
“Grow it here. Process it here. Refine it here. Create the jobs here. Make life affordable here,” he said.
Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of leaving Nigeria dependent on the export of raw commodities and crude oil while citizens continue to pay high prices for finished products.
“A government that cannot turn our resources into affordable products and decent jobs has failed the people it was elected to serve,” he said.
