Atiku Abubakar Blasts Tinubu for Agricultural Decline

Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, accused President Bola Tinubu of presiding over a significant decline in Nigeria's agricultural trade performance. He stated that farmers are vulnerable to insecurity, while manufacturers are burdened by rising costs that hinder local production.

Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, released a statement on October 7, 2026, citing official trade data showing Nigeria's agricultural trade balance fell from a surplus of ₦740.27 billion in the first half of 2025 to a deficit of ₦56.13 billion in the same period of 2026, marking a ₦796.40 billion swing. Agricultural exports decreased by 33.3% during this timeframe.

Atiku highlighted the export of raw commodities like cashew nuts and cocoa beans, arguing that the administration has failed to foster local processing industries. He proposed an independently audited production subsidy for domestically refined petroleum products and criticized the administration's compressed natural gas initiative for not providing adequate relief.

Atiku, ratified as the NDC presidential candidate on May 29, 2026, pledged to implement the production subsidy from day one of his administration.