Questions over Nigeria’s commitment to agricultural development resurfaced on Thursday after Engineer Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), alleged that thousands of tractors procured by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari have remained unused instead of being deployed to farmers across the country.
The claim came as he criticized the state of the nation’s agricultural sector, arguing that poor policy implementation has undermined efforts to boost food production and create jobs.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Thursday, July 16, 2026, Galadima said successive efforts to strengthen agriculture have not translated into meaningful support for farmers. While acknowledging that he was a fierce political opponent of Buhari, he argued that the former president’s decision to procure tractors for the sector was a commendable initiative that has allegedly been left to waste.
The veteran politician, who described himself as an active farmer, said agriculture remains Nigeria’s largest employer but has suffered from policies that discourage local production. According to him, farmers continue to grapple with rising input costs and low produce prices, making farming increasingly less profitable.
Galadima argued that one of the clearest examples of wasted agricultural investment is the alleged abandonment of thousands of tractors imported from Brazil during the Buhari administration.
“Buhari, as bad as he is, and as fiercely as I fought him, ordered tractors, thousands of tractors, from Brazil. They are all now parked at the Seed Council in Sheda, after Gwagwalada. Anybody can go and see. They refused to distribute them to the farmers.”
Galadima maintained that making such equipment available to farmers would significantly boost food production, create jobs and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. He added that any government serious about economic development should prioritize supporting local farmers with modern equipment rather than relying on food imports.
According to him, agriculture has the potential to drive industrial growth by providing raw materials for local manufacturing while reducing dependence on foreign imports. He stressed that no nation can achieve genuine economic independence without first attaining food security.
The NDC chieftain said that if his party wins the 2027 general election, one of its immediate priorities would be to ensure that the tractors are released to farmers instead of remaining in storage, arguing that such investments should directly benefit agricultural producers and contribute to national development…..See More
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