The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has commenced the distribution of 550 metric tonnes of fertilisers to farmers across the six area councils, with the inputs made available at 50 per cent subsidised rates.
At the launch held in Abuja on Thursday, the 4th of September, 2025, Wike, represented by his Chief of Staff, Chidi Amadi, explained that the programme is designed to enhance food supply, stabilise market prices, and strengthen food security in the territory.
“This initiative underscores our firm commitment to food security, agricultural revitalisation, and the welfare of our people. As the FAO has emphasised, food insecurity threatens dignity, stability, and peace.
“In view of this, and in alignment with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the FCTA has institutionalised this annual support scheme to ease production costs and enhance yields.
“The timing of this exercise is deliberate – coinciding with the farming season – to ensure that farmers can access inputs when they are most needed,” Wike said.
The minister revealed that fertilisers such as conventional NPK, granular urea, NPK gel, and urea gel will be distributed at half the market price. He added that strict measures had been introduced to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit from the programme and to guard against diversion.
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While acknowledging that fertiliser provision alone is not enough, Wike pointed to ongoing collaborations with institutions like the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Leventis Foundation, and the World Bank.
According to him, these partnerships are focused on training, improving agronomic practices, rehabilitating degraded farmlands, and boosting livelihoods.
“Together, these interventions are reclaiming degraded lands, supporting livelihoods, and revitalising key agricultural sectors. Let me reaffirm that this administration remains committed to building a prosperous, inclusive, and secure city,” he said.
On his part, Ango Abdullahi, Mandate Secretary of the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, commended Wike for sustaining support for farmers. He further announced that 3,500 knapsack sprayers will also be handed out alongside the fertilisers.
Abdullahi emphasised the need to scale up food production to meet the demands of Abuja’s rising population, adding that the Secretariat is committed to advancing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through the repositioning of agriculture in the FCT.