FG Partners Bank of Agriculture to Launch Agric Programme in 20 Tertiary Institutions
- Minister of Education Maruf Tunji Alausa announced a new agricultural programme targeting 20 tertiary institutions across Nigeria
- The Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme aims to convert underused farmlands into commercial hubs
- Students, unemployed graduates and alumni are the primary targets of the scheme, which offers up to N2 billion per institution
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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering education in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has announced a federal partnership with the Bank of Agriculture to launch a new programme that will turn idle farmland on university campuses into working commercial farms.
Legit.ng reports that Alausa shared details of the initiative on his official X (formerly known as Twitter) account on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, describing it as part of a broader government plan to equip five million Nigerians with practical skills by 2030.
Source: Facebook
The scheme, named the Renewed Hope Tertiary Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Programme, will initially cover 20 tertiary institutions.
Under it, over 500,000 hectares of underused institutional farmland are targeted for productive commercial use.
Universities to get billions, equipment
Each school that joins the programme will be eligible for between N1 billion and N2 billion in financing. The funding comes alongside tangible support including tractors, modern farm equipment, improved seedlings, irrigation facilities and technical assistance.
The minister stated that the programme is primarily designed to benefit students, unemployed graduates and alumni, giving them hands-on experience in agriculture and business. Staff members and residents of communities surrounding the participating institutions will also be able to take part in the commercial farming activities.
Source: Twitter
FG targets skills, enterprise and jobs
Alausa noted that the initiative is intended to close the gap between academic study and real-world enterprise, repositioning Nigerian tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation and job creation.
"Beyond boosting food production, the initiative will connect classroom learning and research with practical enterprise, repositioning our tertiary institutions as centres of agricultural innovation, commercial production and job creation," he wrote.
He added:
"Ultimately, we are investing in people, building skills and creating pathways for young Nigerians to become entrepreneurs, employers and active contributors to national food security."
The minister summed up the federal government's vision with the phrase:
"This is education translated into skills, skills translated into enterprise, and enterprise translated into opportunity."
Read Minister Alausa's update in full below via the X post:
Eno proposes N200k bursary for A’Ibom students
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, announced plans to increase the annual bursary for students in public tertiary institutions from N50,000 to N200,000, while students studying Medicine, Law and Engineering would receive N250,000.
Eno explained that the proposed increase would take effect if he wins the February 2027 governorship election and is sworn in for a second term.
Governor Eno stated that the increase was intended to help students manage their tuition fees more easily, adding that his administration would sustain free and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school levels.
Source: Legit.ng
