The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has dismissed claims made by the North-East Caucus of the National Assembly that the region was excluded from the Federal Government’s $530 million Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme.
The North-East lawmakers, comprising senators and members of the House of Representatives from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe, raised concerns last Thursday over the alleged exclusion of their region from the programme. They argued that it was unjust for the country’s largest livestock hub to be left out of such a key initiative and urged President Bola Tinubu to address the issue to ensure fairness and equity.
However, in a statement issued on Saturday, Minister Kyari refuted these claims, stating that three North-East states — Gombe, Borno, and Bauchi — had expressed interest in participating in the second phase of the SAPZ programme.
Kyari further clarified that at the start of the programme’s first phase, only eight states had indicated their interest in participating. “We are glad that they acknowledged the innovative nature of the SAPZ as a groundbreaking change in the agricultural development agenda and priority of President Bola Tinubu,” the minister noted.
The programme, launched in 2022, began its first phase following a design process that started in 2019. Kyari explained that the Federal Government, alongside the African Development Bank (AfDB), had invited state governments to submit their interest in the programme, with specific eligibility criteria.
At that stage, only eight states — Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Cross River, and the Federal Capital Territory — qualified to participate. The minister added that no state would be left behind in the initiative, emphasizing that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s international missions had secured further funding to include more states.
Phase two of the SAPZ programme is now underway, and Kyari revealed that 27 states expressed interest, with 10 fully meeting the eligibility criteria. He highlighted that Gombe, Borno, and Bauchi had qualified for the first tranche of phase two, and more states could be onboarded in the subsequent tranches.
The minister also urged the North-East lawmakers to encourage other governors in the region, such as those of Taraba, Yobe, and Adamawa, to ensure they meet the eligibility criteria to participate in phase two.
Kyari concluded by reaffirming that no state would be excluded from the programme and that all efforts were being made to accommodate more states for the benefit of Nigeria’s agricultural development.