A looming agricultural crisis threatens the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as local farmers issue a stern warning to authorities over the non-release of 6,800 bags of free fertilizer designated for the 2026 wet season.
​Members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), FCT Chapter, gathered in the nation’s capital on Tuesday to declare that the bureaucratic gridlock delaying the distribution poses a direct threat to regional food security and the livelihoods of thousands of rural households.
​Addressing journalists at the association’s headquarters, AFAN leaders emphasized that the window for optimal fertilizer application is closing fast. With heavy rainfall already underway across key farming hubs in Abaji, Kwali, and Bwari, further delays will render the government intervention ineffective.
​”Fertilizer is not something you apply at your convenience; it works on a strict biological clock,” said Alhaji Ishaq Abdulrahman, Public Relations Officer for AFAN FCT Chapter. “If these 6,800 bags of NPK and Urea do not reach our members within the next seven to ten days, the crop cycle for maize and sorghum will be severely compromised.”
​The association highlighted several cascading problems stemming from the hold-up, Rising Market Costs and Bureaucratic bottlenecks. Commercial fertilizer prices have surged past ₦42,000 per bag, making open-market purchases impossible for low-income farming families. The inputs remain locked in regional storage depots despite official approval for their release weeks ago.
Unfertilized crops currently in their germination phase face an estimated 35% reduction in total yield come harvest season.
​AFAN has called on FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and officials at the FCT Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) to immediately bypass red tape and clear the dispatch of the 6,800 bags directly to registered cooperative societies across all six Area Councils.
