Agriculture
RUGA: Agric Minister, Wastes N13bn on Phantom Contracts
Nanono vows to trace missing funds
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Confusion and uneasy calm now pervades the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, following revelations that the N13 billion fund released by the Federal Government for the take-off of the now suspended and controversial RUGA scheme may have disappeared from the coffers of the Ministry.
Accusing fingers are, however, being pointed at the immediate past minister of agriculture and rural development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, a former permanent Secretary of the ministry and former director of livestock department, all of whom held sway at the Ministry at the time the fund was released.
Investigations by DAILY ASSET revealed that the N13 billion earmarked for the implementation of grazing settlements pilot schemes in 12 states of the Federation mostly affected by the herders-farmers crisis was released in October 2018, to the Ministry.
A source at the Ministry told DAILY ASSET that the fund was approved by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, at the twilight of President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term.
Our source said that the Ministry based it’s request on an existing N200 billion earlier approved by the National Economic Council during the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
It was learnt that after receiving the fund, the Ministry was said to have approved contracts for the RUGA settlement and payments were made to some of the contractors.
The contractors were, however, shocked to find out that land was not earmarked in some of the selected states for the pilot scheme of the RUGA settlements.
In Benue State for instance, Ogbeh was alleged to have sold his private lands to the scheme in the Benue South Senatorial District. The contractor was mobilised to site but did nothing other than erection of a project sign post.
Ogbeh’s efforts to acquire additional lands and transfer to the scheme were said to have been met with stiff resistance from members of the community, who claimed the land in question belonged to a deceased person.
Investigations further revealed that the contracts were not approved by the Federal Executive Council as required under the Public Procurement Act.
Opposition by the public to the RUGA policy, led to it’s suspension by the Federal government.
In spite of the suspension, the mobilisation paid to the contractors has yet to be refunded, just as the job has not been executed, our source maintained.
Investigations revealed that the entire Fund has disappeared from the coffers of the Ministry, raising fears that some highly placed officials at the helm of affairs at the Ministry may have made away with the money.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry was said to have left on transfer to another Ministry and the Director of Livestocks resigned, while the Minister also left the cabinet at the end of the first tenure of the Buhari administration.
The new minister of agriculture and rural development, Mr Sabo Nanono told DAILY ASSET in an interview that he has no details about the N13 billion because he was still receiving briefs from the ministry, assuring that he would find out how that money was spent.
Nanono said, “I have not even come to that. I am just barely two weeks in the ministry and I am still receiving briefings. So I don’t know anything about it.”
When asked if he will investigate how the fund was spent, the minister said, “Yes, of course! I will get to the root of it.”
Ogbeh had in the last four years in office as minister of agriculture and rural development made several efforts at introducing programmes aimed at addressing the herders-farmers crisis such as Cattle Colony, Grazing Reserves, Ranches and the most controversial Ruga programme but none was successful.
Recall that President Buhari had in May 2019, approved the RUGA programme barely a week to the end of his first term.
The then Minister of Agriculture, Ogbeh, despite explanations by the presidency that the Ruga was not meant for cattle herders, but other animals breeders could be settled in the RUGA settlements with provision of necessary and adequate basic amenities such as schools, hospitals, road networks, vet clinics, markets and manufacturing entities that will process and add value to meats and animal products, it was totally rejected.
Sokoto, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi, Taraba, Katsina, Plateau, Kebbi, Zamfara and Niger states have indicated interest in developing the Ruga programme despite its suspension.
Benue State had initially been listed as an interested pilot state, but Governor Samuel Ortom publicly denounced RUGA settlements after the Federal Government appeared to ignore its objections and tried to implement the plan in the state.
However, last week, the federal government came up with the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) which it explained was quite distinct from the RUGA scheme.
In response to the outrage caused by the RUGA settlements, Vice President Osinbajo, who chairs NEC, has publicly dismissed claims that the plan was associated the with NLTP.
“On the National Livestock Transformation Plan, 13 States are already in the process of implementation of a plan to transform the livestock production system in Nigeria along market-oriented value chain while ensuring an atmosphere of peace and justice.
“The States are Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, and Edo.”
NLTP is a N100 billion initiative that champions ranching as the way forward for cattle rearing in the country.
The plan, presented by the National Economic Council (NEC) in June 2018, recommends that cattle herders are expected to be registered with cooperatives for the purpose of the ranching scheme.
The funding of the plan from the federal government and state governments is expected to last for the first three years in the pilot phase for a total of N70 billion, while private sector interests and investments between the third and tenth year is expected to be in excess of N100 billion.
Meanwhile, DAILY ASSET has noted that the Federal Government has allocated N3.2bn in the 2019 budget for the development of national grazing reserves, promotion and development of beef production as well as other livestock programmes.
The amount is contained in the 2019 budget, which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 28.
Specifically, the amount is contained in the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. A breakdown of the amount showed that N2.4bn was specifically allocated to the development of national grazing reserves.
The federal ministry of agriculture 2019 budget also indicated that budget showed that N212 million
was allocated to the promotion and development of beef production.
Also, a provision of N380m was made for motorised boreholes in Kano grazing reserves by the Federal Government.
Another N139 million was allocated for training of youths in the installation and maintenance of solar-powered street lights to livestock and other farms while N60 million was budgeted as agricultural grants for women and youths in livestock farming.
About N8.5 million was proposed for the development of pastures in grazing reserves in the 2019 fiscal period.
Some residents in Lagos State have expressed concern over the recent surge in the price of tomatoes, forcing many households to adopt alternatives.
The residents made their views known in separate interviews on Wednesday in Lagos.
A market survey showed that a 50kg basket of tomatoes now sells between N115,000 and N125,000, compared to between N35,000 and N40,000 recorded last month.
Olachi Igwe, a resident of Ago Palace, said the scarcity and high cost of tomatoes had disrupted her household’s meal plans.
“I contacted my usual vendor, but she said tomatoes were scarce and difficult to source.
“A small bowl we used to buy for between N3,500 and N4,000 now sells for as high as N6,000 to N7,000, when available.
“For now, my family will resort to palm nut stew (ofe akwu) until prices stabilise,” she said.
Another resident, Mercy Okeleye of FESTAC, said although her family prefers fresh tomatoes, rising prices have forced her to consider cheaper options.
“I cannot do without fresh tomatoes because of the taste, but I may have to buy broken ones, popularly called ‘esha’, which are relatively cheaper.
“I do not consider tomato paste a suitable substitute because it is not purely made from tomatoes,” she said.
Also speaking, Tope Babalola from Dopemu, said she might adjust her cooking methods if prices remain high.
“I have not bought tomatoes in over a month, but if the price is still high, I will use more onions and peppers.
“I will not resort to artificial additives; I prefer natural ingredients for my meals,” she said.
Joan Ogugua, another resident, said she had already switched to tomato paste to cope with the situation.
“I asked my son to buy tomato paste for our meals. I cannot justify spending excessively on fresh tomatoes when other basic needs must be met,” she said.
Also, Oge Ugwu, a civil servant at Lekki, said she would resort to cucumber stew with the recent price hike.
The Tomatoes Growers and Processors Association of Nigeria (TOPAN) has predicted a steady increase in the price of the produce between May and June 2026.
The Kaduna State Chairman TOPAN, Rabiu Zuntu, disclosed this in an interview recently in Lagos.
Zuntu noted that although there is no particular time for tomatoes planting season up north, seasonal weather variations can affect the production of the produce.
“Although we can plant tomatoes all-year-round, we cannot assure quality harvest all-year-round.
“Some farmers are harvesting now, while others are transplanting, and others are harvesting.
“Tomatoes are still available for sale but the price of the produce is gradually on the increase.
“Come May/June, the prices of tomatoes will be very expensive, so now is a good time to stock up the produce. There’s always a scarcity within that period.
“This is because of the nature of the weather in the north around that period, the weather is usually very hot and tomatoes cannot resist such hot temperature,” he said.
Zuntu said the price of tomatoes have started rising up in the north.
“A 50kg rafia basket of tomatoes sells from N20,000 as against N7,000 to N10,000 that was sold earlier in the year.
“While a crate of tomatoes up north is sold between N10,000 and N15,000 as against N5,000 to N6,500 sold earlier in the year.
“In most part of Kano State, where there is bumper harvest, they are rounding off their harvest. So, tomato is not that available there and most buyers have turned to where they can find it now, mostly within Kaduna State and some parts of Plateau State.
“So, that’s why the supply has decreased and the tomato supply and cost is determined by the law of demand and supply,” he said.
A 50kg basket of tomatoes in Lagos, at the moment, sells between N40,000 and N60,000 depending on the size and quality.
The Smallholder Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Oyo State chapter, has said that the lack of irrigation facilities had become a major obstacle to dry season farming in the state.
The Chairperson of SWOFON in Oyo State, Atinuke Akinbade, said this in an interview in Ibadan on Monday.
Akinbade, who shared the experiences of women farmers in the state during the 2025 dry season, said that inadequate access to water for irrigation significantly affected the performance of many farmers during the period.
“It hindered many older farmers from participating in dry season farming and also prevented younger farmers from doing as much as they could in cultivating large acres of land,” she said.
Akinbade explained that farmers who managed to plant during the season struggled to access sufficient water to irrigate their farms, a situation worsened by the effects of climate change.
“Many farmers who depended on streams and wells to water their crops suffered major setbacks because those sources could not provide enough water for irrigation.
“Some farmers had to resort to buying water from commercial water tankers, which increased the cost of production, while at times it was even difficult to get water from the tankers,” she said.
The SWOFON chairperson warned that failure to address the problem could worsen food insecurity in the coming months.
“Even now, rainy season farming has not fully commenced because of the irregular rainfall pattern.
“This is a double burden, and if nothing is done, it may lead to serious hunger later,” she said.
Akinbade, however, acknowledged that the government had organised training for members of the association on home gardening.
She, however, said that little support was provided to address the challenges of dry season farming.
The chairman said that the home garden support package given to members consisted mainly of seedlings and one sprayer.
“They gave us two packs each of maize and pepper seeds, with six seeds in each pack, as well as one sprayer, so that we can grow food for household consumption,” she said.
Earlier, Oluwatoyin Oyedeji, SWOFON Coordinator in Oyo East, explained the severe hardship members of the organisation experienced in sourcing water for irrigation.
“Many farmers are already counting their losses because water was not available to irrigate their farms.
“Those who depended on streams and brooks were badly affected because many of them dried up, while the few that still had water had so little that farmers had to dig deeper into the ground in search of more,” Oyedeji said.
In the same vein, the Women Leader for farmers in Saki East, Musiliu Ashiru, said the absence of irrigation facilities also hampered dry season farming in her area.
According to her, many farmers still engaged in dry season farming have had to pay for water to keep their crops alive.
“Many of them buy water from the dam here to irrigate their crops. It has not been easy for them this year,” Ashiru said.
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