The Commissioner for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, Dr Barnabas Malle, on Thursday expressed willingness to collaborate with the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria, Gombe State chapter, to help them realise their full potential.
Malle made this disclosure during a joint advocacy visit to the ministry by SWOFON and the Budget Committee Group (BCG), organised by Hope Foundation for the Lonely with support from ActionAid Nigeria.
He noted that the ministry’s doors are open for partnership, adding that under his watch, the ministry would support the farmers rather than hinder their progress.
“This is the right place you are supposed to be. This is your home ministry. I have heard your complaints and the information you have given us about the organisation,” he said.
Addressing concerns over funding, Malle refuted claims that released allocations were withheld from SWOFON, describing them as untrue.
“I think last year your group came saying some amounts were released but not given to the women. To my surprise, I don’t know anything about that. Maybe it was budgeted but not released. If it was released and meant for your group, we would have given it to you. We are very transparent. We want to see your progress,” he said.
He continued, “This year is my second year here. I’m trying to see how we can assist you, develop you, and see that women grow in agriculture. There was nothing like a release of N50 million. Anything about your entitlement—I will not deny you, but will assist you to get it. I expect that this will strengthen our partnership. I know that without funds a lot will not go well, but we will continue to guide and support your organisation.”
Lauding the Commissioner and ministry staff, Gombe State SWOFON Coordinator, Airudia Mamman, acknowledged the current administration’s support for women farmers and urged for increased assistance to achieve food security.
“We appreciate all that the government has been doing for SWOFON. This visit is just a reminder after budget analysis. We are here to state what the budget is about based on our analysis,” Mamman said.
On the 2025 Agriculture Budget analysis, BCG Secretary Ephraim Samuel, who read the group’s findings, stressed the need to ensure the release of allocated resources.
The budget analysis revealed several concerns, including a drop in the allocation for smallholder women farmers from N50 million in 2024 to N30 million in 2025. It also noted that the N100 million earmarked for mechanisation in 2024 was never released and has now been removed. The allocation for youth in agriculture remains at N20 million, with no evidence of utilisation in previous years. Additionally, there were no provisions made for agricultural credit, irrigation, post-harvest loss reduction, research and development, or climate-resilient farming.
The BCG, however, commended the increased allocation for agricultural extension services, which rose from N5 million in 2024 to N40 million in 2025 for mobility and communication tools. Nevertheless, it noted the absence of funding for training or recruiting extension agents.
The presentation called on the Gombe State Government to increase agricultural funding to meet the 10 percent Maputo Declaration benchmark, ensure full, timely, and transparent implementation of allocated funds, restore and expand budget lines for mechanisation, post-harvest loss reduction, and climate-smart agriculture, institutionalise monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and strengthen stakeholder engagement and legislative oversight for better transparency and accountability.
The highlight of the visit was the handing over of the analysis and recommendations by the BCG Chairman, Chima Azubuike, to the Commissioner.
