General
Wheat Development Programme Yield Underscores Role of Research and Trials
Nigeria’s aspiration for wheat production self-sufficiency is being pursued on diverse fronts by stakeholders in the value chain including government, policymakers, farmers, researchers, scientists, institutions, millers, etc. under different aegis and initiatives.
For the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), that initiative would be its Wheat Development Programme (WDP). Under the auspices of the FMAN WDP, millers have continued to invest over N500 million annually to support local smallholder wheat farmers amongst other activities aimed at boosting local wheat production in Nigeria.
This intervention included a scaled out-grower programme that provided the high-yielding seed for smallholder wheat farmers in the wheat-producing belts of Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States. It also included a sustained working relationship with the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN), funding of the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) located in Maiduguri and the expansion of the seed varietal testing and multiplication sites in Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Jigawa States.
The outcome of all of these efforts underscores the efficacy of research and trials, which today is glaring for all to see. According to the latest wheat harvest yield data released for the 2021 harvest season, the average wheat harvest yield across the Wheat Farmer Service Centres established under the WDP in Jigawa, Kebbi and Kano rose from 1 ton to an average of 4 ton per hectare.
Going by the harvest yield data, the aggregate total yield derived from the 15 wheat collection centres located in the wheat farming belts of Northern Nigeria stood at over 800 tons. The leap in wheat yield per hectare in the current harvest season is expected to rise even more to a remarkable aggregate sum when the harvest season rounds off this June 2021.
The current improved harvest yield is in stark contrast to the previous experience recorded in the wheat production value chain in previous years. This is hugely because the tendency of achieving wheat sufficiency in Nigeria has been marred by disinterest and apathy by stakeholders in the agro value chain in the past 3 decades.
Although the country recorded some feat in its wheat development drive between 1987 and 1991, the departure from the programme in the subsequent years wiped off most of the gains derived from the previous development efforts.
However, the pivot to wheat derivative food consumption by Nigeria’s teeming population since 2016, and the oil shock of the same year stimulated renewed interest in developing the wheat production value chain to tap the export potential of the crop and meet the demand for quality, nutritious and affordable foods by the masses.
From inception, there are quite a number of hurdles to sale to be able to raise the local wheat production levels. The hurdles include a traumatizing security issue across the wheat-producing belts, the low access to high-yielding wheat seeds and critical farming inputs, and the dearth of mechanized and modernized farming practices along the wheat farming segment. These hurdles impact the quality, quantity and price of the little wheat produce delivered locally. They have also led to sub-par performance on regional wheat production levels.
The landscape is gradually shifting though. This is because the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and FMAN rose to the challenge to push the country forward in its goal of achieving wheat production self-sufficiency.
Through the quality partnership with various wheat development experts such as the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Tractor on the Go and the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria (WFAN) amongst others, priority was given to deepening agronomic practices in the wheat production segment.
Smallholder wheat farmers were supplied with quality input to enhance their harvest yields, the level of research was scaled to ensure high-yielding seeds were experimented with and released at improved frequency. Relevant modern infrastructural facilities were also made available on the farmlands. An out-grower scheme was introduced to extend timely loan resources to the wheat smallholders.
The intervention data has been outstanding. In the 2020 and 2021 wheat cultivation and harvesting seasons alone, over 800 wheat farmers benefited from the FMAN’s out-grower scheme. Mechanized harvesting and threshing support were extended to 493 farmers. Wheat seed production has been significantly raised to 80 tons. The scaled seed tonnage would adequately cover 800 hectares when the next cultivation season begins.
Although the financial cost of these huge intervention efforts may be massive, the result is turning out to be impressive, encouraging and makes it worthwhile. The notable outcome and growth in the wheat harvest yield was announced and applauded during an event organized by FMAN to celebrate the smallholder wheat farmers who put in so much effort to deliver the bountiful wheat yield.
Tagged the Wheat Farmers Yield Championship, the event was held in Jigawa State on Wednesday, May 2021. While giving the welcome address at the event, Sarah Huber, the Head of FMAN, said, “Our wheat development efforts at FMAN are beginning to yield remarkable results. A larger percentage of the wheat farmers that participated in our 2020/ 2021 Out-grower programme has been able to increase their wheat yield from 1 ton to 4 ton per hectare”.
She added, “The improved wheat harvest yields can be attributed to the sheer level of hard work put in by wheat farmers and we are proud of their commitment to the goals of achieving local wheat production sufficiency in Nigeria. This new achievement foreshadows what we will be able to achieve together in the next 4 years, considering our scaled level of investment into research, distribution of high yielding seeds, provision of crucial farming inputs and training for the farmers”.
She thanked the farmers for their contributions to the success of the FMAN’s Wheat Development Programme. As part of the wheat post-harvest event, FMAN awarded branded products, fertilizer and lots more to the three best performing farmers from 3 states in the wheat farming belts. Hassan Usaini, a wheat farmer from Jigawa state, was announced as the best wheat farmer for the 2021 harvest season. Nalami Abdulmuminu, a wheat farmer from Kano came second. He was followed by Samaila Hassan, also from Kano.
For his outstanding wheat harvest yield, Hassan Usaini was given an excellence award. A female farmer was also awarded for being the only woman that participated in the 2021 wheat harvest season.
While receiving his award, Hassan Usaini extended gratitude to FMAN for the investment efforts put into ensuring that farmers improve in farming practices and can access high-yielding seeds and quality inputs when due. He remarked that he had acquired enough agronomic training and advice that he would build upon to raise his wheat harvest yields to a better level in subsequent years.
Meanwhile, Ashish Pande, Managing Director of Crown Flour Mill Limited, a subsidiary of Olam, which is a major contributor and key member of FMAN, also spoke about the impressive wheat harvest yield.
He said, “The outstanding 2020/ 2021 wheat harvest yield has further deepened our local wheat sufficiency drive and reinforced our support for a research-based development approach in order to raise the level of local wheat production and achieve the local wheat production sufficiency goal of the government. CFM is committed to scaling the wheat harvest yield results in the coming years and will be unfolding other development initiatives to drive local production levels higher as part of efforts to ensure that Nigerian households continue to have access to more nutritious and affordable wheat derivative food brands such as our Mama Gold semolina brand and the non-sticky Crown Premium Pasta to nourish their families.”
Among the dignitaries that attended the FMAN Wheat Harvest Yield event were Alhaji Rabiu Ali Taura, District Head of Taura in Kano state, Alhaji Abbas Yau, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in Jigawa state and Alhaji Rabiu Gwarzo, Vice Chairman of Northern Nigeria Flour Mills Plc.
Given the improved 2021 wheat harvest yield, it can be said that Nigeria is on track to attaining its wheat self-sufficiency target. When fully attained, the coveted non-dependence on imported wheat will significantly reduce the nation’s trade deficit and ensure Nigerians continue to access the highly nutritious semolina, pasta, noodles and pastries products at their preferred prices.
The WDP is a research-based development approach to help raise the level of local wheat production and ultimately achieve the local wheat production sufficiency goal of the government.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
