President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to immediately clear all outstanding arrears owed to agro-dealers and input suppliers under the National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-Pocket (NAGS-AP).
The directive follows the release of a ₦30 billion second tranche from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the scheme’s implementation. By designating BOA as custodian of all agricultural programme funds, the government aims to ensure transparent and timely disbursement to key players in food production.
To fast-track payments, BOA announced it will deploy its electronic wallet system to settle verified claims from compliant agro-dealers within 24 hours. The bank also pledged to provide weekly progress reports until all arrears are paid.
The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, emphasized that the exercise must be treated with the “highest priority,” underscoring its importance to Nigeria’s food security drive.
BOA outlined the eligibility requirements for beneficiaries:
Possession of a BOA account (mandatory for claims).
Prior selection under NAGS-AP before 2025 (no new entries).
At least one previous payment received under the scheme.
Completed account activation to enable one-day claim processing once verified.
With this intervention, government officials say they expect a major boost in the supply of agricultural inputs nationwide, easing bottlenecks and strengthening efforts to achieve food sufficiency.
