Nigeria and Brazil have signed a significant $1 billion agreement to enhance cooperation across agriculture, food security, energy, and defence, according to Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

In a post on his official X account, Shettima revealed that the partnership would see the deployment of over $1 billion toward supplying mechanised farming equipment, establishing training programs, and setting up service centres across the country.

“Our goal is to transition from subsistence farming to large-scale, mechanised agriculture,” Shettima stated. “In the energy sector, we are also making long-overdue moves to attract significant investment in gas production, refining, and renewable energy.”

Farming in Nigeria remains largely subsistence-based, with land commonly held by families or individuals. This structure presents major obstacles to scaling up commercial agriculture. Despite a population of over 200 million, Nigeria still relies heavily on imported food.

The deal was formalised in Abuja during the official visit of Brazil’s Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, as both countries move to strengthen their bilateral relationship.

During the engagement, Vice President Shettima also pointed to the ongoing economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, noting that they are aimed at restructuring the economy for long-term stability.

Nigeria has set an ambitious target to expand its economy to $1 trillion by 2030, focusing on reforms in agriculture, energy, education, and public finance. As part of these efforts, the government has instructed banks to recapitalise in order to increase investor confidence and draw in more foreign direct investment.

More than ten people were reportedly feared dead in a tragic accident that occurred on Tuesday morning along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Oyo State.

The crash involved three Nissan Micra taxis and three articulated trucks.

According to eyewitness accounts, all the vehicles were coming from the Iwo Road axis before the fatal collision.

As of press time, rescue officials were still recovering mutilated bodies from the wreckage.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Police, and Amotekun were present at the scene of the crash, which occurred on June 24, 2025. | Credit: Ademola Adegbite.

The Oyo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Rosemary Alo, confirmed the incident in Ibadan.

She stated, “The accident involved seven vehicles. Four were killed while one is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.”

She also called on motorists to exercise caution while on the road.

“The injured victims were rescued by Sanyo Police Station while the corpses were deposited at Adeoyo morgue, Ring Road, Ibadan, while other victims didn’t sustain injury and found their way to their destinations.

“Meanwhile, Sanyo Police DTO Oluwole Adesina take charge of the accidented vehicle, while one of the corpses was handed over to the relative with the express permission of the Sanyo Division Police Officer,” the sector commander confirmed.

President Bola Tinubu has flagged off the distribution of 2,000 tractors and numerous agricultural tools as part of the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme—an initiative designed to enhance food security and promote economic growth across Nigeria.

At the official launch held in Abuja on Monday, Tinubu reiterated his administration’s dedication to fulfilling its pledges and fostering a resilient agricultural sector for the nation.

“Today, we take a monumental leap forward with the introduction of the state-of-the-art tractors through our new agricultural mechanisation programme. We are very proud of what we are doing,” he stated.

The President also reflected on a warning he issued two years ago regarding the looming risks to Nigeria’s food supply and noted that he had tasked his team with finding creative and effective solutions.

“We made a promise when we came in. We are fulfilling that promise. Two years ago, I sounded the alarm on our nation’s food security. While we are here, there are over 2,000 advanced tractors, 50 industrial-grade land preparation booths, 12 fully equipped mobile workshops, and 8,000-plus specialised farming implements. This equipment, when deployed to empower mechanisation and service providers, creates job opportunities.”

Tinubu stressed the overarching goal of shifting Nigeria’s status from a food-importing country to a leading force in global agriculture.

“Our ambition extends beyond mere self-sufficiency. We envision Nigeria as a global agricultural powerhouse. Supplying quality produce to international markets while ensuring every citizen has access to affordable nutrition,” he said.

He highlighted that the initial stage of the project involves deploying more than 2,000 modern tractors, 50 heavy-duty bulldozers for land preparation, 12 fully equipped mobile repair units, and over 8,000 specialized agricultural tools.

“You don’t have to use an 18th-century method for a 21st-century agricultural family,” he stated.

Tinubu also revealed a collaboration with Belarus to educate Nigerian youths in operating machinery, performing repairs, and mastering mechanization technology.

“We have Belarus committed to a programme that will empower our youth, teach them how to do things, get them off the streets, empower them in technology, review mechanisation, empower them in machine repairs and fabrication,” he stated.

Tinubu reiterated his call for accountability and effective use of the agricultural equipment by beneficiaries.

“To all stakeholders receiving this equipment, deploy it with maximum efficiency. We will work with you, we will supervise you at various locations, and we will hold you accountable,” he warned.

The President also applauded the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. “I sincerely commend the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for their productive effort in addressing the food crisis and maintaining stability with our food system. Together, we shall cultivate a future where Nigeria is not only sustaining itself, but nourishes the world over,” Tinubu said.

During the launch, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the programme as “the single largest mechanisation drive ever undertaken in Nigeria.”

He further emphasized the President’s early commitment to the sector, saying, “From the very first days of this administration, Mr President made it abundantly clear. Food security is national security.”

Kyari noted that the programme aligns with four major mechanisation schemes under the Renewed Hope Agenda: the John Deere Tractorisation Programme, the Greener Hope Project, the Green Imperative Programme, and the Belarus Project.

He credited the swift rollout of the initiative to a technical partnership with AFTRADE DMCC, a global leader in agricultural machinery.

“Never in Nigeria’s history have we witnessed an agricultural mechanisation initiative of this scale, ambition, and national focus,” Kyari stated.

According to him, the programme includes the deployment of 2,000 advanced tractors with trailers, ploughs, harrows, sprayers, and planters, in addition to 10 combined harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, 50 bulldozers for land clearing, and over 9,000 supplementary farming tools and spare parts.

Kyari outlined the programme’s goals, which include cultivating more than 550,000 hectares of land, producing over two million metric tonnes of staple food, creating upwards of 16,000 jobs, and directly benefiting over 550,000 farming households.

“This is not just about distributing tractors. It is about transforming the entire narrative of Nigerian agriculture, from subsistence to scale, from effort to efficiency, from hand hoes to horsepower,” he explained.

The initiative also features compulsory training for machine operators, GPS tracking for accountability, and financing options through development and non-interest banks.

“Mechanisation must inspire a new generation of agri-preneurs,” Kyari added. “We are already building a Nigeria that grows what it eats and eats what it grows.”

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that President Bola Tinubu has no realistic chance of being re-elected in 2027, saying he would be “lucky to come third.”

Speaking in an interview with Arise News on Monday, El-Rufai pointed to the weak economy, rising insecurity, and poor infrastructure as key reasons behind growing public dissatisfaction with Tinubu’s government.

El-Rufai, who was a supporter of Tinubu during the 2023 election, said recent polls reveal that many Nigerians have lost confidence in the president’s leadership.

He went further to warn that Tinubu’s performance could cost him even a second-place finish, stressing that the president has “no pathway to win” in 2027 and would be “lucky to come third.”

“I have mentioned some time ago that in many parts of the country, particularly in the southeast and the North, President Tinubu has a 91% disapproval rating. Even in Lagos, he has a 78% disapproval rating. Okay, it’s a scientific fall, and in some states in the southwest, he’s doing a bit better, like in Ondo and Ekiti, where he’s doing better than a 78% disapproval rating, but there is no way he’s doing better than 50%, even in the southwest; the guy is gone,” El-Rufai stated.

“He has performed miserably. The economy has tanked. The security architecture has failed. There are no clear trade, industrial and investment policies. Everything is going wrong. They are raising lots of revenues, but we don’t know where the revenues are going because there are no results.”

El-Rufai, who had previously backed both former President Buhari and President Tinubu, now says Tinubu’s administration is performing worse than Buhari’s, despite initially believing Tinubu would deliver better results.

Reflecting on his earlier optimism, the former governor stated, “If you asked me in 2022 or 2023 when we are campaigning that things will ever be this bad, I would, I would, I would say that you are, you are mentally ill.”

“Why is there no improvement in 2024? Over 2.2 million Nigerians were abducted. 615,000 were killed. Is Nigeria at war? These numbers are worse than the eight years of Buhari in one year. This is data from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. So it’s government data. I’m not coaching something out of the air. So for that 100 billion that goes out every month from the Federation account, without appropriation by the National Assembly, by the way, without appropriation by the state assemblies, because part of the money belongs to the states, each state assembly is supposed to appropriate that part.

“So the entire deduction and spending expenditure is unconstitutional. It’s an impeachable offence, but it has been going on for more than 15 months from the last time I checked. So where has that 1.5 trillion gone? What is it being used for? Why is the security situation just getting worse? Why is the government asking communities to protect themselves?”

Although El-Rufai did not reveal whether he plans to contest the presidency in 2027, he emphasized that his main concern is ensuring improved governance in Nigeria.

He also rejected the notion that the outcome of the 2027 election is already determined due to recent defections to the ruling party.

“I have not made any decision about what position to run for. I’m thinking about it. We are discussing with many people; even in the coalition, we discussed that, but I have not made any fun decision. For me, priority number one, okay, is to get a person that will improve the quality of governance in Nigeria. If the governance, if the quality of governance in Nigeria, is improved, I will thrive. I will do well, okay? I have an address, I have a profession, and I have capabilities.

“I don’t need to be in politics. I don’t need to be in public service to thrive. So the first order of business is to have a country that is well run, where the resources are applied, where people have a great opportunity to realise their potential. So for me, that’s number one. Okay, that person also should be able to defeat President Tinubu because President Tinubu is determined to make this election look as if it is settled.

“It is not. They are giving the impression through defections and so on. as I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, I have looked at the numbers. I’ve looked at the trends of elections. President Tinubu has no pathway to win. He cannot win. In fact, he will be lucky if he was third.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withheld his assent to the 2025 National Assembly Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Amendment Bill, citing that it contradicts established federal laws and government policies.

In a letter directed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and presented during Tuesday’s plenary session, the President acknowledged the bill’s purpose but expressed concerns regarding particular clauses.

The correspondence highlighted President Tinubu’s position that some aspects of the bill—especially those concerning how agencies under the National Assembly are funded, taxation of national institutions, remuneration structures in the public service, and rules on age and tenure—clash with existing legal frameworks and national policies.

“Notwithstanding the laudable objectives of the legislation, certain provisions contained therein go against the settled law and policies of the federal government of Nigeria,” Tinubu wrote.

He warned that approving the bill in its present form could compromise current governance mechanisms and create a problematic standard that is not in the nation’s best interest.

“If this bill becomes law, these provisions will establish an unsustainable precedent against the public interest,” he added.

The President officially informed the House that he would not be approving the bill and urged legislators to review and amend the provisions in question.

“I hope that the House of Representatives will take necessary steps to fix the identified issues with the legislation,” the letter concluded.

The proposed amendment aims to revise the structure for funding and managing the National Assembly’s library and to enhance support for legislative research.