Agriculture in Nigeria is a branch and one of the major components of the economy. It provides employment for about 35 per cent of the population, a 2020 report suggests. As reported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), agriculture remains the foundation of the Nigerian economy, despite the presence of oil in the country. However, the establishment of agriculture universities in the country appears to be a nullity, considering their perceived near-non-existence, in spite of the huge yearly budgetary allocations to make them viable. Their expected roles of contributing to solving the lingering food crisis bedeviling the country, advancing new innovations and producing quality manpower to solve the challenges in the sector seem to have been eroded by policy summersault and other challenges. Gbenga Akinfenwa writes.
Recently, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, declared that the university’s mandate was not to feed the nation, but to equip students with the knowledge and skills to contribute meaningfully to the agricultural sector.
His remark came on the heel of alleged disappointment by many that the country’s agriculture-based institutions are under performing, especially in food production, in the face of the current food crisis affecting the country.
The Vice Chancellor’s statement was made during the yearly colloquium of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State, held at the June 12, Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.
The statement was rude shock to many Nigerians who expected much from agric universities. Currently, there are six federal universities of agriculture in Nigeria – Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB); Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, renamed Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State; Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State; Federal University of Agriculture, Bassam-Biri, Bayelsa; and Federal University of Agriculture, Mubi, Adamawa State.
There are also some universities such as University of Ibadan; University of Ilorin; Obafemi Awolowo University, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, offering agricultural programmes, in addition to a good number of federal colleges of agriculture across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in February, 2025, in Abuja assented to the bill establishing the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State.
While signing the Act, President Tinubu said the institution would serve as training grounds for developing agriculture, science and technology professionals and enhancing Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global economy.
The Guardian gathered that the agric universities in Nigeria were established to strengthen the agric sector, promote sustainable farming practices, enhance food security, and develop human capital in agriculture.
Their mandate also involves boosting of agricultural productivity; addressing food security challenges; development of skilled workforce; promotion of agricultural innovation; improving livelihood of rural dwellers; and supporting the sector’s contribution to the country’s economy, among others.
The Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, among others, makes provision for the school to identify the agricultural problems and needs of Nigeria and to find solutions to them within the context of overall national development; to provide and promote sound basic scientific training as a foundation for the development of agriculture and allied disciplines, taking into account indigenous culture, the need to enhance national unity, the need to vastly increase the practical content of student training, and adequate preparation of graduates for self-employment in agriculture and allied professions.
The Act also mandated the agric institutions to promote and emphasise teaching, research and extension of agricultural knowledge, including agriculture extension services and outreach programmes, in-service training, continuing education, and on-farm adaptive research among many others.
On the part of FUNAAB, its website revealed that the institution’s mandate is tripodal in nature, comprising teaching, research and extension functions. “FUNAAB’s mandate also includes contributing to sustainable development and producing leaders with good character and learning.”
A look at the website of MOUAU showed that its mandate is to provide practical agricultural education and research to help achieve national food and fiber self-sufficiency.
In addition, it also has the mandate to develop technologies to overcome agricultural production constraints; train manpower for agriculture; identify and solve agricultural problems and needs; catalyse and sustain rural development; provide the knowledge base for achieving food security; and to serve Nigeria and humanity through processes that will lead to the alleviation of hunger.
According to reports, food security in Nigeria is at a critical point and needs urgent attention. Over 26 million people out of an estimated population of 229.5 million faced acute hunger in the period June to August 2024.
The report also said around 84 million Nigerians – 37 per cent of the total population – live below the poverty line. Poverty restricts households’ ability to purchase or produce sufficient nutritious food.
In a report in The Conversation, written in February 2025 by Victoria Tanimonure, Associate Professor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, food prices in the country have risen dramatically over the past three years.
At 40.7 per cent, food inflation in Nigeria reached its highest level in the past 25 years. Overall inflation is currently 34.2 per cent, the highest in 28 years. This makes it harder for millions of Nigerians to get adequate nutrition.
According to experts who spoke to The Guardian, by focusing on agricultural education and research, the universities were tailored towards improving farming techniques, introduce modern technologies, and increase crop yields that would contribute to food security.
They, however, noted that while Nigerian universities of agriculture have contributed to the sector, they haven’t fully achieved their potential in terms of food production and impacting the lives of farmers.
They added that as the country faces lingering challenges related to food production and supply, the agric universities, in line with their establishment, should be addressing the issues through research, training of farmers, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Last year, the World Food Programme (WEF) projected a looming food shortage in the country this year.
According to the report, more than 30 million people are expected to be food insecure this year, a one-third jump from 24.8 million people who were food-insecure in 2024, owing to economic hardship.
The statement signed by the WEF spokesperson in Nigeria, Chi Lael, was based on the analysis conducted twice a year in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory, which projected that 33.1 million people would be food insecure by August, which signals increase from the 24.8 million affected towards the end of last year.
WEF attributed the huge number to the economic decisions to strengthen the country in the long term, in the short term, which has had a direct “attack on people’s wallets, hitting hardest every time they try to buy food.
“Several factors are driving this trend, but most prominently are economic hardship coupled with record high inflation, a record rise in food prices and record high transportation costs,” a statement accompanying the report said.
In the 2025 budget, according to the Budget Office of the Federation, N180b was proposed for these universities and research institutes.
Of this amount, N54.38b was specifically allocated to the federal universities of agriculture. This allocation to these universities represents 8.4 per cent of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMARD) total budget.
The breakdown reveals: FUNAAB – N13.77b; Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State – N14.17b; Federal University of Agriculture, Zuru, Kebbi State – N3.98b; Federal University of Agriculture, Bassam-Biri, Bayelsa State – N2.96b; and Federal University of Agriculture, Mubi, Adamawa State – N3.58b.
The Guardian investigations showed that from the 3.51 per cent allocated to the agric ministry in the 2024 budget, these universities also got extra allotments from the total budget, though the breakdown of the budget did not indicate specific amount each of them received.
Now, following the trend of the yearly allocation to these universities, the common questions on the lips of many Nigerians who are concerned about the near-inactivity of these institutions are – how have these agric universities aided food availability, agric business and growth of this sector?
One major concern being raised by sector analysts is the fact that at a time like this when agric settlements across the geo-political zones appear to be in comatose, these universities do not think outside the box to maximise the opportunities presented by the abandoned farm settlements.
For instance, the Eastern Nigerian Farm Settlements, created in the 1960s to promote scientific agriculture and improve food production in the region had Erei farm settlement located in Abia State; Igbariam farm settlement, Anambra State; Ishiagu farm settlement, Enugu State; and Enyigba farm settlement in Ebonyi State.
In the Southwest of the 60s, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, created several farm estates in the region for the purpose of enhancing agricultural practice. They include – Ipapo, Ilora, Eruwa, Ogbomoso, Iresaadu, Ijaiye, Akufo and Lalupon, all in Oyo State; Owowo Farm Estate, Coker, Ikenne, Ijebu Igbo, Ipokia and Isaga-Orile, among others, were located in Ogun State, Irese and Ile-Ife farm settlements in Osun State, and Ekiti farm settlement, Ekiti State, among others.
In the North, Tundun Wada, Gakara, and Kadawa farm settlements were created in Kano State, Bakalori farm settlement in Kano and Gwiwa farm settlement in Jigawa State.
Though they were all founded and designed by government to provide basic social needs and encourage farming as a dignified profession, sadly, these farm settlements have lost their appeal.
Another area where there have been many expectations from these institutions is the area of bridging the food gap created by the incessant insecurity and restiveness in major food hubs across the country.
Stakeholders believe that these agric universities ought to have appropriated these abandoned farm settlements and bridged the gaps.
Also, the institutions are expected to maximise the multiplier effects of the past agricultural transformation initiatives on the economy of these regions.
For instance, the supply of yam from Benue State known for production of quality tuber crops has ceased due to incessant cases of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity that have forced farmers out of business.
It is the same scenario in some northern states where Boko Haram insurgents had held sway over the years. The abrupt end to farming activities in the agrarian states have contributed to the existing food crisis threatening the country.
Likewise in the South, the many cases of farmers/herders clashes contributed adversely to food insecurity that the country now faces.
A lecturer at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Dr. Moses Ogah, lamented that the institutions are not living to expectations and missions.
“The essence of establishing university of agriculture is to engage food production so that food can be sold to the populace at subsidised rates. Unfortunately, we are not living up to the expectations and mission of these institutions.”
Though he described the budget allocation to these institutions as a positive development, he however, stressed the need for strategic implementation of the allocations, highlighting the universities potential to tackle food security challenges, reduce food costs and support national development.
An Associate Professor in FUNAAB who doesn’t want his name mentioned, reiterated its mandate, saying, “FUNAAB was established to teach students to become agriculturists, entrepreneurs and scientists. Another core mandate of FUNAAB is research. Our research has led us to the discovery of a goat we call the Kalawad goat, it is a high breed of the Kalahari goat from South Africa with West African dwarf. This is a kind of goat that is short, heavy and can give milk like a normal cow.
“Also through research, FUNAAB has been able to come up with a type of chicken called FUNAAB Alpha Chicken, the alpha chicken is a combination of local chicken and the agric Chicken, it is more resistance to African diseases, it can out-perform other breeds in the rural and semi rural environment. This alpha chicken research project was sponsored by Bill Gates.
“Talking about community engagement, FUNAAB has its extension officers around Alabata and Odeda, these officers are there to educate and train farmers and organise lectures for local farmers. I would say FUNAAB has not failed, but instead, it has achieved the mandate for which it was established.
“At FUNAAB, we train staff of these institutions either for Masters or Ph.D. In fact, they use our facilities for research, we have collaborated to do research activities, they also come to us for professional advice, so I will say there is a good relationship between us. But the major challenge is funding….”
He noted that despite FUNAAB’s mandates and achievements, huge gap exists in food sufficiency in the region, because “many people don’t want to do farming, they are after white collar jobs, another factor is insecurity, people no longer go to farm out of fear of being killed by herders, lack of equipment is also another factor why people don’t venture into farming.
“Lack of motivation is another factor, governments are not motivating farmers. Policy summersault is also another issue; we see state leaders that are not willing to continue from where their predecessors stop, they rather abandon those projects.
“Governments should put incentives in place to make youths have interest in farming, loans should be made available, provide basic amenities and infrastructure like good roads to ensure easy transporting of farm produce, let me also add that the first professional occupation created by God is farming.”
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Izanu Africa, Comfort Onyaga, who expressed regret that the institutions are not living up to expectation, identified outdated curriculum; reliance on traditional and theoretical teaching methods; lack of state-of-the-art lab equipment to undertake research; political interference; funding; and zero or no collaboration with institutions, farmers, and industry experts, among others, as factors militating against their performances.
She said: “If you want to look at this issue critically, you have to look at it using multiple lenses. It’s not a straightforward thing. You can’t use one lens to analyse this issue because these institutions are very important or critical to shaping agricultural policy, research and providing practical solution, unfortunately, they are not living up to expectation in different areas.
“So, let’s even start with the curriculum. If you pick up a copy of their curriculum, you realise that their curriculum are actually outdated. The students from these universities have very minimal or limited practical exposure to the field. How much in terms of research do they contribute?
“How much capacity do they have to contribute to real world solution pertaining to the food security crisis? So as the society is evolving, the challenges of food security keep changing, it’s not only one factor that is contributing to food insecurity in Nigeria, the factors are many.”
Onyaga suggested that for these institutions to succeed, there is need for them to work with real farmers, not portfolio farmers, to ensure that their research findings and innovations to truly reflect the broader picture of what’s happening in the field or reflect the challenges of farmers across agro-ecological zones, so that at the end of the day, the research findings are not limited to a particular region.
“If you generalise what your research finding is in terms of making recommendations to solutions or challenges, you realise that you’re making a wrong recommendation to a problem that does not exist or that exists only in a particular region or an agro-ecological zone.
“You are already aware that underfunding is going to be an issue. Whatever limited resources made available to these institutions, there will be contending issues. So it’s going to be a contention between allocating that limited resource to either paying their staff, getting what’s called stationeries and all of those things like imprest. If you see how shameful it is that you go to a university and the Head of Department will say they’ve not received imprest for this academic semester. And then, any little money that gets there, you realise that they have to channel that money instead of ensuring that the money is invested into conducting research. So, well, they are faced with political interference.
“These are things we need to look at. They need that independence to be able to operate fully. Either at the state or the federal level, everybody wants to retain their position in any institution. So that level of political interference, which is also inconsistent with the policies, is a hindrance. It’s a very big clog in the wheel when it comes to these universities being functional enough to be able to take on that challenge or the responsibility of addressing food crisis in the country,” Onyaga said.
She regretted that the students have a disconnection between what is happening in the real world, “there’s a mismatch between the theories they’re learning and the practice in the field. That’s what I meant by what’s happening in the real world. So, it’s difficult for them to graduate and be able to function within that real world and contribute to addressing food insecurity crisis in the country. So there’s a knowledge gap there. I don’t know how they are going to bridge it.
“Maybe these institutions should actually consider collaboration with the industry so that their students will be attached to startups now working within this space. So if their students can be attached to a startup or any company or any non-profit organisations or donors that are funding agricultural projects, that will give them the opportunity to bridge that knowledge gap and have hands-on experience, get back to the university before the end of their studies, have a reflection on their firsthand experience in the field and see how the theoretical concepts are applied to these issues that they have seen firsthand.”
“So I think there’s a practicable solution here. Our students should learn how to do internship for the sake of doing internship, for the sake of understanding this real time problem and addressing it not just to tick the boxes and get the grade.”
She noted that there’s no one size fits all solution to end the challenge, because it’s multifaceted. “It requires a multipronged approach. But I know clearly for sure that the universities have significant potential to contribute to addressing this challenge.
“So we need a reform in the curriculum ensuring that there is also practical training. I remember when I was in the university; I lived with an uncle who is a lecturer, an agric economics lecturer. I know that students used to go for practical; they had farm on campus and all of that.
“During the harvest season, we used to get a lot of harvest, we can buy a lot from the university farm, and that’s a source of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the university. The university community could practically feed itself. I don’t know the extent to which students are involved in practical side of agriculture beyond those theories. You know, we have a lot of innovation right now, with a lot of startups. “
Onyaga tasked government on transparency or accountability framework to be sure that whatever resource is allocated to the agricultural institutions is monitored to the point where the money is actually used to do what they say they would do. “I have not for once read about the utilisation of the budget on the pages of the newspapers. I think you guys need to start doing this, because the media should be holding the universities accountable.
“If you know that the government has allocated XYZ amount to a particular agricultural institution, you have the responsibility to actually follow-up after a period of time, follow-up and engage with this agricultural institution to see whether or not this money have been put into implementing or setting up the laboratory, equipping the laboratory, or setting up that farm. Let’s see the results of that investment. Let’s see the return on investment for whatever money is allocated to these institutions.”
On his part, the Executive Director, Agricultural Management and Rural Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Femi Oladunni, noted that the universities are not directly involved in food production, saying they were however, designed to develop new technologies in the form of research and innovation in the entire agricultural value chains.
“It’s the technologies that will lead to increased food production by increased productivity of the different commodities – increase yield per hectare through good agricultural practices, improved post harvest activities, reduction in cost of production, attractive pricing regime, to develop new technologies with other research institutes among others.
The Guardian
