12/02/2026
BREAKING: Senate Unveils ₦990bn Allocation for Agricultural Institutions in 2026 Budget
Abuja — The Senate Committee on Agricultural Colleges and Institutions has announced that agricultural institutions across Nigeria will receive ₦990.49 billion in the 2026 fiscal year, following a proposed ₦1.44 trillion allocation to the Ministry of Agriculture in the 2026 budget.
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, disclosed this on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, during the 2026 budget defence session at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
According to the lawmaker, the allocation reflects the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to food security, job creation, and human capital development in the agricultural sector.
He said the 2026 budget, themed “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience, and Shared Prosperity,” marks a clear departure from the challenges that plagued the 2025 fiscal year, particularly in the implementation of capital projects.
Senator Alli acknowledged that many agricultural institutions operated under severe constraints in 2025 but noted that the new fiscal framework presents an opportunity to reposition them as drivers of national economic growth.
He also highlighted the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP), described as the most ambitious decentralisation initiative in Nigeria’s history, targeting 8,809 wards nationwide.
Under the programme, agricultural institutions are expected to act as technical hubs, identify One-Ward-One-Product potentials, deploy extension personnel to train 1,000–2,000 economically active individuals per ward, and fast-track the distribution of high-yield seedlings through a ₦3.5 billion agricultural intervention fund.
However, the Senate Committee chairman warned that the National Assembly would not tolerate what he termed “expenditure over impact” during the implementation of the 2026 budget.
He stressed that institutions must account for funds released in 2025, demonstrate internal revenue generation efforts, and justify recruitment exercises carried out in the previous year.
Senator Alli described 2025 as the “planting season” and expressed confidence that the 2026 fiscal year would deliver a “harvest season” for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.
