$530m Agro Project: N/East Caucus Kicks Against Exclusion

The North East Caucus in the National Assembly has kicked against the exclusion of the zone from the $530million Special Agro – Industrial Processing Zones ( SAPZ), project implemented by the Federal Government.

The Caucus which comprises the entire Senators and Honourable members of the House of Representatives from the Six States in the zone, declared that it was unacceptable that none of the states was included and requested for inclusion by President Bola Tinubu .

Rising from an emergency meeting which lasted for about two hours, the caucus through its Chairman, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, lamented that despite the North East been the first in Livestock and Agriculture in the country, none of its six states was picked among the eight states in the country where the special project is being implemented .

“The emergency meeting held today by all the federal lawmakers from the North East geo – political Zone comprising Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States was convened sequel to the exclusion of our zone from the all-important programme of the Federal Government, the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ), project despite the enormous potential of our zone in all spheres of agriculture and livestock of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

“In view of the seriousness of this matter, the members of our caucus, even though the parliament is on recess, cut short their holidays to attend this meeting and express our reservations about our region’s exclusion from the programme.”

“For a start, $530 million is to be provided by the Federal Government, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for the SAPZ programme.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in Kaduna State, flagged off the construction of Phase 1 of the SAPZ as part of the present administration’s plan to industrialise Nigeria’s agricultural sector and create sustainable jobs.

Seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been selected for the programme.

The North West and South West have two processing zones each – Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo states, while the South South, South East and North Central have one processing zone each.

“SAPZs aim is to transform Nigeria’s agriculture landscape through innovation, private-sector investments, and strategic public partnerships.

The zones are therefore designed to create agro-industrial hubs that integrate farmers with processors, reduce post-harvest losses and expand rural economic opportunities.

“Geographically, the North East is the largest geopolitical zone in the nation, covering nearly one-third of Nigeria’s total area of 272,451 km2 (105,194sq mi). Our potential in all aspects of the agricultural sector can not be overemphasised, hence the call for inclusion. ”

James Itodo, Edited By Blessing Nyor