Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has cautioned agencies under his ministry to avoid including non-agricultural items in their budget proposals, insisting that every expenditure must align with the ministry’s core mandate.
Speaking Friday in Abuja during a meeting with chairmen and chief executive officers of institutions and agencies under the ministry, Kyari said, “Before the recent budget defence, I urged the heads of our agencies, research institutes, and colleges to avoid including non-agricultural items in their proposals. We must remain focused on our core mission.”
The minister expressed concern over media reports questioning the integrity of some institutions due to budgetary items unrelated to their core functions.
“It is disheartening to see news reports questioning the integrity of our institutions over misplaced priorities. Research institutes should prioritize research, not unrelated construction projects,” he said.
The meeting brought together newly appointed governing board chairmen, many of whom are state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside senior ministry directors. It served as a formal engagement between the minister and the newly constituted leadership of agencies under the ministry.
Kyari underscored the critical need for discipline, accountability, and innovation, especially in the context of declining research output.
He stressed that Nigeria’s food security challenges require smart solutions like drought-resistant, heat-tolerant, high-yielding crops with shorter maturity cycles.
“With your leadership, I believe we can restore the discipline and innovation required to make our research institutions truly impactful,” he told the new appointees.
The Minister also emphasised the importance of stabilizing food prices and improving the welfare of farmers and consumers, noting that while the administration has achieved a lot in under two years, the country is “not yet where we want to be.”
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Cross River APC Chairman and newly appointed Board Chairman of the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, Alphonsus Eba, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the appointments.
Eba assured the minister of the chairmen’s readiness to align with government priorities, describing themselves as “practical farmers, not just political players.”
“That Mr President chose to send nearly 30 to 40 per cent of us to agencies under your ministry signals a focused commitment to achieving food sovereignty, going even beyond food security,” Eba added.