News
FG, FMN, NOVA Bank Pledge N1.5bn For Maize Farming
The Federal Government, through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), has launched a N1.5 billion pilot initiative to cultivate 1,500 hectares of farmland, targeting 1,500 smallholder farmers under the National Agricultural Development Programme (NADP-1).
This is done in partnership with Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) and NOVA Merchant Bank and was announced at a press briefing on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Abuja, to mark the maiden disbursement under NADF’s on-lending facility.
NADF Executive Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, explained that the scheme is designed to strengthen agricultural value chains, improve farmer productivity, and align with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Food Security and Market Priority Agenda, by President Bola Tinubu.
Ibrahim described the initiative as a model for inclusive agricultural financing, saying: “This programme demonstrates that smallholder farmers can be engaged in a profitable and sustainable way. Through aggregation, value chain partnerships, and strategic financing, we can transform agriculture into a viable engine for national development.”
Managing Director of FMN Agro, Sadiq Usman, emphasised the importance of improving yields and building resilient supply chains.
“This facility supports our core mission of transforming farmer profitability. A factory without a farm is scrap metal, and a farm without a factory is just wheat,” Usman said, citing maize cultivation in Kaduna State as the initial focus of the scheme.
“Kaduna produces 20% of Nigeria’s maize and is home to highly productive farmers. It’s a perfect ground for demonstrating how better seeds, nutrition, and agronomy practices can boost yields,” he added.
Representing NOVA Bank, Uzoma Ayonmike, Group Head of Corporate Banking, expressed optimism about the venture, saying: “Agriculture is a cornerstone of national growth. We are proud to be the first financial institution to disburse under the NADF pilot phase.
“This partnership is not just a transaction. It is a step toward food security, economic inclusion, and sustainable national progress.”
Head of Value Chain Banking at NOVA, Esosa Igbineweka, detailed the bank’s due diligence process in selecting FMN Agro as the programme’s implementing partner.
“NADF cannot lend directly to farmers, so we ensure any intermediary meets strict risk and performance criteria. FMN Agro has proven capacity and a strong record in engaging smallholder farmers,” he said.
On behalf of NADF’s investment division, Olalekan Alabi revealed that the initiative aims to scale beyond the initial 1,500 farmers to 10,000 before the end of the current wet season.
He highlighted maize, cassava, rice, soybean, and sorghum as priority crops with high-impact potential.
“This isn’t just a one-time project. It’s the beginning of a long-term drive to improve food security through sustained investment in smallholder farmers.
“The model also includes provisions for mechanisation, input access, and market linkage, positioning it as a comprehensive solution to long-standing barriers in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
“The programme’s first deployment will begin in Kaduna, with FMN focusing on maize due to its strategic role in animal feed and food milling.
“The company, Nigeria’s largest buyer of maize, soybean, sorghum, and wheat, views this project as crucial for securing consistent raw material supply and advancing yield transformation,” he said.
Thesun.ng
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election in Kano state
The returning officer, Professor Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared Garba Ya’u Gwarmai of the APC winner with 31,472 votes
Waziri defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Ali Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election held in Kano state.
Announcing the results on Sunday morning, August 17, the returning officer (RO), Professor Muhammad Waziri from Bayero University, declared APC candidate Garba Gwarmai the winner with a total of 31,472 votes.
He defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes, according to The Punch.
The supplementary poll was conducted after the initial election in the constituency was declared inconclusive. With a margin of 3,541 votes, Gwarmai’s victory marks a key win for the APC as the party continues to reinforce its influence across the state.
Meanwhile, the NNPP won the Bagwai/Shanono state assembly by-election in Kano state.
Daily Trust and Vanguard noted this update.
Announcing the result at 12:36 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, the RO for the election, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, declared the NNPP candidate, Ali Hassan Kiyawa, winner with 16,198 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu, who polled 5,347 votes.
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is performing well but lacks an effective communication strategy to relay its achievements to Nigerians.
Aliyu made the statement on the Thursday edition of Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, while reacting to the outcome of a recent public accountability session held in Kaduna.
Aliyu, reflecting on the discussions at the Kaduna Forum, said the government is facing public dissatisfaction not because it hasn’t delivered, but because it is failing to tell its own story effectively.
The ex-governor said it is proper for political leaders in the North to make demands from Tinubu’s administration since the bulk of the votes that took power came from the region.
“Let the people understand what is happening on the ground. If by what we say that 63/64 percent of the vote came from the north, it is only logical that the north will be expecting so much from the government.
“But from what we have seen so far is that the government is doing well but they do not know how to communicate very well,” he said.
News
New Twist As El-Rufai Snubs ADC, Announces Another Party To Vote In Kaduna Bye-Election [ Video Trends]
Former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared to have taken a reverse from the coalition’s adopted political platform, ADC
This is as the former governor took to social media and asked the people of Zaria, Chikun to vote for another party in the Saturday, August 16 (today), bye-elections in the constituencies in Kaduna
Recall that the former governor recently visited Sokoto to canvass support for the ADC, while criticising President Bola Tinubu and the APC government.
Click to watch El-Rufai’s video here
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) August 14, 2025
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has fueled speculations that he dumped the recently adopted coalition political platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), as he called on the people of Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency and Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituency to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, in a dramatic turn, the former governor urged the people of Zaria and Chikun to vote for the SDP in the Saturday, August 16, by-election, a poll which was meant to test the opposition’s strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that El-Rufai defected to the SDP after dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but soon after joining the party, the SDP fell into a leadership crisis, and the former governor has been silent on his membership and allegations against him.
El-Rufai recently visited Sokoto on a mission to gather support for the ADC. He described his action as a patriotic one to rescue Nigeria from the grip of ‘nepotism’ and ‘incompetence’.
During his visit to Sokoto, the former governor attended two important events meant to sensitise the people and political stakeholders working to achieve the agenda of sacking President Tinubu and the APC in the next general election.
During his address at the event, the former governor lambasted the ruling party and called them ‘a failed, clannish, and visionless administration that has plunged Nigeria into deeper socio-economic misery’.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of ‘broken promises and elite conspiracy’. He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.
“I Don’t Pray My Prophecies Come To Pass” – Primate Ayodele Drops Shocking Message [VIDEO]
BREAKING: Winner Emerges In Kano Bye-Election As APC, NNPP Lock Horns
BREAKING: ADC Claims Victory Against APC In Kaduna Bye-Election
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