President Bola Tinubu has said Nigeria has the capacity to produce enough food for its population and reduce the high cost of basic food items, promising a major expansion of mechanized farming, irrigation and agricultural research as his administration makes food security and the cost of living central issues in its campaign for another term.

Tinubu made the remarks on Tuesday at the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign rally in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, where he told supporters that Nigeria possesses the land, labor and agricultural potential needed to significantly increase domestic food production. He said the government would continue investing in farming infrastructure and modern equipment while bringing universities more directly into agricultural research and development.

The president told the crowd that Nigeria should not have to depend heavily on imported food when it has millions of hectares of arable land and a large farming population. He said the government intends to use those advantages to increase production and eventually bring food prices down to what he described as the minimum.

“We have the arable land. We have the commitment. We have the people. We can feed ourselves, and we will bring the food prices down to the minimum,” Tinubu said during the rally.

He also said universities would be expected to play a larger role in agricultural research and development, arguing that improved seeds, better farming techniques and closer cooperation between researchers and farmers could help raise yields and strengthen food production across the country.

Tinubu announced plans to establish six mechanized farming service centers across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The centers are expected to provide farmers with access to equipment and services that are often too expensive for individual small scale producers to purchase on their own.

The proposal reflects one of the biggest structural problems facing Nigerian agriculture. Much of the country’s farming is still carried out by small producers using basic equipment, leaving productivity well below what is possible in many areas.

Tractors, harvesters, irrigation systems, storage facilities and modern processing equipment remain beyond the financial reach of many farmers. That means large areas of potentially productive land are cultivated less efficiently than they could be, while crops are also lost after harvest because of weak storage and transportation systems.

Tinubu’s remarks came during a visit to Jigawa, one of Nigeria’s major agricultural states, where farming plays a central role in the local economy. The president also commissioned agricultural equipment procured by the Jigawa State Government, including more than 400 tractors and 60 combine harvesters intended to support mechanized farming and improve productivity.

The location gave Tinubu an opportunity to connect his food security message with visible agricultural investment. Jigawa produces rice, wheat, millet, sorghum, sesame and other crops and has significant potential for irrigation and dry season farming because of its land and water resources.

The president’s promise to reduce food prices comes at a politically sensitive moment because the cost of feeding households remains one of the biggest concerns facing Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.

Official figures show that inflation has moderated compared with previous years, but food remains considerably more expensive than it was a year earlier. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that food inflation stood at 19.59 percent in September 2026.

That meant average food prices were still nearly one fifth higher than they were in September 2025, even though the rate of increase had eased.

There was some improvement on a monthly basis. Food prices fell by 1.55 percent in September compared with August, according to the NBS, with the decline linked partly to lower average prices for products including maize flour, local rice, onions, tomatoes, plantain, eggs, palm oil and several vegetables during the harvest period.

The fall was important because it suggested that increased food supply during the harvest season was helping ease some immediate price pressure.

However, the annual figure remained high enough to show that many households were still paying substantially more for food than they were a year earlier.

That gap between slowing inflation and the actual cost of living has become one of the central economic challenges for the Tinubu administration.

Inflation falling does not mean prices return automatically to previous levels. It means they are rising more slowly than before.

For families whose incomes have not increased at the same pace as food, transportation, rent and energy costs, even slower inflation can still leave household budgets under heavy pressure.

The government has therefore placed greater emphasis on expanding food supply rather than relying only on monetary policy to slow price increases.

Tinubu’s agricultural strategy has increasingly focused on mechanization, irrigation, improved seedlings, fertilizer access and stronger links between farmers and markets.

The administration has also argued that Nigeria must produce more of what it consumes if the country wants to reduce exposure to international food prices and foreign exchange pressures.

Food imports can become more expensive when the naira weakens, because importers need more local currency to buy the same quantity of goods priced in dollars or other foreign currencies.

Increasing domestic production can reduce some of that pressure, particularly for crops Nigeria is already capable of growing at scale.

However, production is only one part of the food price problem.

Farmers also face high transport costs, insecurity, poor roads, limited storage, high fertilizer prices, financing difficulties and losses between farms and markets.

A farmer can produce a large harvest and still struggle to make food cheaper for consumers if transporting that harvest to major cities remains expensive.

That is why the effect of mechanized farming centers will depend partly on whether other parts of the agricultural supply chain improve at the same time.

Roads connecting farms to markets, irrigation infrastructure, warehouses, processing plants and reliable electricity all influence the final price consumers pay.

Security is equally important.

Farmers in parts of northern and central Nigeria have faced attacks, kidnapping and displacement in recent years, disrupting planting and harvesting in areas that normally contribute significantly to national food supply.

Improving agricultural production therefore requires both economic investment and better security in farming communities.

Tinubu’s promise also comes after several years of difficult economic reforms under his administration.

The removal of the petrol subsidy in 2023 sharply increased transportation and production costs across the economy.

The government also liberalized the foreign exchange market, contributing to a major adjustment in the value of the naira.

Those policies were introduced as part of an effort to improve government finances and remove distortions from the economy, but they also contributed to a severe increase in the cost of living.

Tinubu has consistently defended the reforms, arguing that maintaining the old subsidy system was unsustainable and consumed resources that could instead be used for infrastructure, education and social programs.

At the Dutse rally, he again criticized political opponents who have suggested returning to the former petrol subsidy arrangement.

The president argued that reinstating the subsidy would reduce the funds available for roads, public services and other government obligations.

His message reflects the broader argument of his reelection campaign, which is that Nigerians have already endured the most painful phase of the economic reforms and should allow his administration more time to produce the benefits.

Opposition politicians have challenged that argument, pointing to household hardship and questioning whether improvements in government revenue and macroeconomic indicators have translated into better living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.

Food prices are likely to remain at the center of that debate because they are among the most visible measures of economic conditions.

Families buy food every day or every week and feel price changes immediately.

That makes the price of rice, beans, maize, vegetables, cooking oil, meat and other staples more politically significant than many broader economic indicators.

The government’s ability to reduce food costs will therefore depend on whether agricultural production can rise faster than population growth and demand.

Nigeria has one of the largest populations in the world and continues to add millions of people every year.

That creates enormous demand for food and means agricultural production must expand continuously simply to keep pace.

Mechanization could help by increasing the amount of land one farmer can cultivate and reducing dependence on manual labor.

Modern harvesting equipment can also reduce losses and allow farmers to bring crops in more quickly.

Irrigation is another important part of the government’s plan.

Much of Nigerian agriculture still depends on rainfall, leaving farmers vulnerable to changing weather patterns and limiting production during the dry season.

Expanding irrigation can allow farmers to produce crops more than once a year and reduce seasonal shortages.

Jigawa is already an important center for dry season farming and irrigation, making the state particularly relevant to the government’s agricultural message.

The state has invested heavily in farm equipment and has promoted wheat and rice production as part of efforts to increase local supply.

Tinubu’s administration says stronger cooperation between the federal government and agricultural states can accelerate that process.

The president also wants universities and research institutions to contribute more directly.

Agricultural research can help develop seeds that produce higher yields, mature faster or perform better under drought and other difficult conditions.

It can also improve livestock production, pest control and the use of fertilizers.

However, Nigeria has often struggled to transfer agricultural research from laboratories and universities to farmers on the ground.

Extension services, which connect farmers with technical advice and new methods, remain weak in many parts of the country.

Strengthening those links would be necessary if greater investment in research is to translate into higher production.

Financing presents another challenge.

Many Nigerian farmers cannot access affordable bank loans because they lack collateral or operate in sectors considered risky by commercial lenders.

High interest rates can also make agricultural borrowing difficult because farmers may wait months between planting and receiving income from a harvest.

Government supported credit programs have attempted to address this problem, but access remains uneven.

The success of any major expansion in mechanized agriculture will therefore depend on whether farmers can obtain financing for seeds, fertilizer, irrigation, labor and other inputs.

Land ownership and access are additional issues.

Nigeria has large areas of arable land, but disputes over ownership, traditional rights and the legal process for obtaining land can slow investment.

Large commercial agricultural projects also sometimes generate conflict with local communities if people believe they have been displaced or excluded.

Increasing production on a national scale will require a combination of large commercial farms and stronger support for millions of smaller producers.

The government will also need to address post harvest losses.

Significant quantities of fruits, vegetables and other crops are lost before they reach consumers because of poor storage and transportation.

Cold storage is especially limited, leaving perishable food vulnerable to spoilage.

Reducing those losses could increase the amount of food reaching markets without necessarily increasing the amount initially harvested.

Improved processing can have a similar effect.

Instead of transporting raw produce long distances, local processing can preserve crops, create jobs and reduce waste.

Those investments could also help Nigeria build a stronger agricultural export industry.

Tinubu’s food sufficiency promise therefore involves much more than planting additional hectares.

It requires changes across the entire system from seeds and machinery to storage, transport, security, financing and markets.

The president has presented the plan as achievable because of Nigeria’s natural resources and large workforce.

Whether food prices fall significantly will depend on how quickly those policies translate into greater supply at markets across the country.

Recent inflation figures provide some evidence that better harvest supply can reduce prices in the short term.

The September decline in monthly food inflation showed that prices can ease when products such as rice, maize, onions and tomatoes become more widely available.

The challenge is sustaining that improvement beyond the main harvest season.

Seasonal shortages have historically pushed some food prices higher when supplies decline.

Expanded irrigation, storage and processing could help smooth those fluctuations by keeping more food available throughout the year.

Tinubu’s campaign is likely to continue emphasizing agriculture because food costs directly affect almost every Nigerian household.

The president is asking voters to judge his administration partly on whether the economic reforms introduced since 2023 can now begin producing visible improvements in living standards.

His opponents will continue testing that promise against market prices and household experience.

For now, the government points to declining headline inflation and the recent monthly fall in food prices as evidence that pressure is easing.

Official data shows headline inflation declined to 14.63 percent in September from 15.39 percent in August, while annual food inflation remained at 19.59 percent.

Those numbers show progress in the pace of inflation but also explain why the president’s promise remains politically important.

Food prices are still high, and many families will judge improvements not by whether inflation statistics decline but by whether their incomes can buy more food.

Tinubu’s promise in Dutse is therefore both an agricultural commitment and an economic test.

The administration says Nigeria has enough land, people and resources to feed itself and reduce dependence on imported food.

The next challenge is proving that increased mechanization, irrigation, research and government support can produce enough food at a cost that ordinary Nigerians can actually feel in their household budgets.