FG, NIMC Partner to Build Verified Farmers Database, Curb Fraud in Agricultural Interventions
…Kyari says digital identity system will ensure grants, subsidies reach genuine farmers
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to strengthen food security and agricultural productivity by deepening collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to establish a credible national database of genuine farmers, ensuring that government interventions reach only verified beneficiaries.
The initiative was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and signed by the Head, Department of Information, Mr. Ezeaja Ikemefuna, on July 11, 2026.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, made the disclosure while receiving a delegation from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), led by its Director-General, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, during a courtesy visit in Abuja.
Kyari said the partnership would leverage Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure and the National Identification Number (NIN) to build a centralized and verifiable database of genuine farmers, a move he described as critical to achieving sustainable food security and food sovereignty.
According to the Minister, integrating NIMC’s identity verification platform into government agricultural programmes would eliminate leakages, improve transparency and ensure that grants, farm inputs and other intervention programmes are accessed only by legitimate farmers and agribusiness operators.
“The collaboration will leverage the National Identification Number (NIN) and NIMC’s identity verification platform to authenticate beneficiaries of government agricultural programmes. This ensures that interventions are targeted only at legitimate farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs,” Kyari said.
He revealed that the Ministry has already commenced deploying NIMC’s identity management infrastructure to verify beneficiaries of its intervention programmes, noting that the initiative has significantly improved transparency while boosting the participation of women and young people in agriculture.
The Minister further disclosed that the Federal Government has restructured its agricultural subsidy programme to encourage self-reliance among farmers rather than prolonged dependence on government support.
He explained that beneficiaries would receive maximum support during the first year, reduced assistance in the second year and become fully self-sustaining by the third year.
“It shouldn’t be a subsidy that will go on perpetually. We have a plan whereby beneficiaries receive support in the first year, the assistance reduces in the second year, and by the third year they should be able to stand on their own,” he stated.
Kyari added that the phased support model would expand opportunities for more farmers to benefit from government programmes while promoting sustainable agricultural production and improved productivity nationwide.
Earlier, the Director-General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, described agriculture as one of Nigeria’s most strategic sectors because of its central role in guaranteeing national food security and driving economic development.
She noted that the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 has further strengthened the Commission’s mandate as Nigeria’s foundational identity authority, positioning it to provide secure identity verification and digital authentication services to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
According to her, integrating the National Identification Number into agricultural programmes would significantly improve accountability, eliminate ghost beneficiaries and reduce fraud in the implementation of government interventions.
“The integration of the National Identification Number into agricultural programmes will improve accountability, reduce fraud and eliminate ghost beneficiaries, while ensuring that scarce public resources are directed to the farmers who genuinely need them,” she said.
Coker-Odusote also stressed that stronger collaboration between NIMC and the Ministry of Agriculture would support the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda by deploying trusted identity systems to improve public service delivery and enhance the effectiveness of social and economic intervention programmes.
She reaffirmed NIMC’s commitment to providing reliable identity verification services that will strengthen the credibility, transparency and impact of government agricultural interventions across the country.
The partnership is expected to enhance the integrity of agricultural support programmes, improve resource allocation and accelerate the Federal Government’s drive towards achieving food sovereignty and sustainable agricultural development.
