The National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Agricultural Production and Services has warned that any agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security whose CEO fails to appear in person to defend their 2025 budget could face zero funding.
Senator Saliu Mustapha, Chairman of the Senate Committee, and Bello Kaoje, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee, expressed disappointment when Dr. Vincent Isegbe, Director General of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service, did not attend the budget defense session.
They reminded all agency heads that the President had instructed them to be present. Senator Mustapha set a deadline of January 20 for Dr. Isegbe to appear and defend the budget.Senator Mustapha also discussed the World Food Programme’s warning that 33.1 million Nigerians could face hunger in 2025, emphasizing the need to act on food security.
He stressed the importance of increasing funding for agriculture to cope with challenges like climate change and environmental damage. He also called for policies that would boost food production and improve farmers’ yields.Bello Kaoje warned that agencies failing to attend their budget defense meetings could have their funding reduced.
He also highlighted the President’s declaration of a state of emergency on food security and assured that the National Assembly would work with the Ministry of Agriculture to address the country’s food security issues and improve the budget.
