Mystery surrounds 8,000 missing fertiliser bags under Tinubu’s food security programme in Taraba

A ‘cloud’ of uncertainty has enveloped the distribution of fertiliser supplied under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Fertiliser Input Support Programme in Taraba State, following the disappearance of 8,000 bags allocated to the state government.

The missing fertiliser forms part of the 20,000 bags delivered to Taraba in early July 2026 under the federal government’s intervention aimed at boosting food production and strengthening national food security.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had announced the procurement of 449,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs for distribution across the country, with Taraba receiving 20,000 bags comprising organic NPK and urea fertilisers.

Investigations by our reporter revealed that while 12,000 bags were allocated to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Taraba State chapter, the remaining 8,000 bags were designated for the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for distribution to cooperatives and organised farmers.

However, weeks after the allocation, the whereabouts of the 8,000 bags remain unclear, with conflicting accounts emerging from federal and state authorities.

The Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Taraba State, Luka Dabut, confirmed that the Federal Ministry received the 8,000 bags from the federal government and later handed them over to officials of the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to Dabut, the fertiliser was delivered during the tenure of his predecessor and remained in the Federal Ministry’s warehouse until the distribution process commenced.

“On my arrival, I met the fertiliser in our store. It was under our custody only for safekeeping. Shortly afterwards, the Federal Government engaged a consultant to coordinate the distribution exercise,” he said.

He explained that the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, including its Permanent Secretary and directors, participated in meetings alongside officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies before the handover.

“We successfully handed over the entire 8,000 bags to the Taraba State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in the presence of all the security agencies. No single bag was left in our store,” Dabut stated.

Findings by our reporter showed that the 12,000 bags allocated to AFAN were openly distributed to members at the Veterinary Warehouse opposite the Christian Centre along FGGC Road in Jalingo.

The distribution exercise was witnessed by beneficiaries and members of the farming association.

However, the Taraba State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Professor Nicholas Namissan, denied that the ministry handled the distribution.

Responding to enquiries via a text message, the commissioner said: “There’s a Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Taraba State. They handled the distribution by themselves.”

The commissioner’s response contradicts the account provided by the Federal Ministry, which insists the fertiliser was officially handed over to the state ministry.

The conflicting claims have heightened concerns among farmers who were expected to benefit from the intervention programme.

Several farmers who spoke with DAILY POST expressed disappointment over the uncertainty surrounding the fertiliser, saying many smallholder farmers have yet to receive any allocation despite the peak of the farming season.

“We are calling on security agencies, the Presidency and the Taraba State Government to investigate the matter and determine the whereabouts of the 8,000 bags that were meant to be distributed to us farmers,” Jacobs Samsons said.

The farmers also urged Governor Agbu Kefas to intervene and ensure that those responsible are held accountable if any wrongdoing is established.

With both federal and state authorities offering conflicting versions of events, questions remain unanswered over what happened to the fertiliser intended to support food production in Taraba State.

Until those questions are resolved, the fate of the 8,000 bags allocated under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Fertiliser Input Support Programme remains a mystery.