President Bola Tinubu’s administration has launched a nationwide audit and digital registry of farmers aimed at eliminating “briefcase farmers” individuals who fraudulently benefit from government agricultural interventions without contributing to food production.

The initiative, announced by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, is part of broader efforts to address food insecurity by curbing corruption within the agricultural support distribution system.

According to Olusegun, the digitally backed registry is designed to ensure that genuine farmers receive the support they need, in contrast to the current situation where fake beneficiaries divert resources intended for agricultural development.

In addition to the farmers’ audit, the federal government has finalised plans to establish cattle breeding centres in each of the six geopolitical zones.

These centres will be supervised by the newly created Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and are expected to reduce persistent clashes between farmers and herders while enhancing the livestock value chain.

Olusegun said the administration had already undertaken several initiatives to boost food production and reposition agriculture as a key driver of economic growth. He noted that under an ongoing mechanisation programme, 10,000 tractors are to be delivered to the country over the next five years, with 2,000 already received alongside other farming equipment.

He also pointed to the Special Agro Processing Zones project, in collaboration with the African Development Bank, and the Agropocket Initiative, under which over 133,000 hectares of wheat have been cultivated in northern Nigeria.

Olusegun said the Tinubu administration remains committed to turning Nigeria into a major agricultural hub and addressing food challenges through innovation, transparency and sustained investment in the sector.