* Lists Tinubu govt’s vision for national food, energy security 

* Nigeria joins other nations globally to mark 2025 World Cassava Day

Deji Elumoye in Abuja 

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has repositioned cassava production to ensure the crop becomes a key driver of industrial development and import substitution in Nigeria.

According to him, the government’s agenda for the sector is hinged on leveraging the crop as capital for re-engineering the nation’s economy, strengthening rural livelihoods, and ensuring national food and energy security.

Speaking Thursday at a ceremony in Abuja to mark the 2025 World Cassava Day, the vice-president noted that cassava, which for long symbolised food security for the vulnerable, can also signify prosperity for the ambitious.

His words: “We are moving from subsidy-heavy programmes to investment-led solutions. We are prioritising private capital, research, and coordinated action across government, academia and development partners to drive mechanisation, agro-processing, quality inputs and full commercialisation of cassava.”

Commenting on the theme of this year’s World Cassava Day, ‘Farm to global markets: driving industrialisation, food security and exports’, Shettima said the commemoration of the day is a call to action, just as he invited all stakeholders to see the promise of the crop.

He said: “Let this day mark the beginning of a new era where cassava is not merely grown, but transformed. Where our fields are not only bountiful, but profitable. Where Nigeria leads not just in tonnes harvested, but in value created.

“Cassava is one of the most strategic assets in our agricultural portfolio. Its applications cut across food, feed, fuel, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and even construction.”

Outlining the Federal Government’s efforts in this regard, the vice-president noted that one of the most promising shifts the Tinubu administration has made is the Cassava Bioethanol Project.

“This initiative is expected to save the nation over N3 triillon annually by reducing our dependence on imported fuel additives.

“It will also stimulate the emergence of a circular economy in agriculture and allow us to harness cassava by-products for energy, fertilisers and industrial inputs. What used to be waste will become wealth. This is how nations rise,” Shettima said.

He called for collective action, maintaining that it was time to move beyond plans and press releases to deliver outcomes that transform lives and rebuild rural economies, saying: “The world will not remember our intentions. It will remember our results.”

Shettima commended the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), other stakeholders and partners for their continued leadership and contribution in agricultural innovation, particularly the deployment of the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponic system for cassava seed multiplication.

He acknowledged the progress made by the country and fuelled by strong international cooperation, highlighting the collaboration with Brazil as fruitful and a demonstration of “how agricultural ambition, when matched with political will, can transform even the most difficult landscapes”.

The vice-president emphasised the need to speak of the youths in cassava value chain transformation, describing them as “not the future of agriculture but the present and must be empowered not just to farm, but to innovate, to scale, and to lead just as they have transformed fintech and agritech”.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, said all stakeholders in Nigeria, Africa and beyond must continue to collaborate to ensure that cassava is transformed from a mere staple crop in Nigeria and Africa to the gateway for unlocking industrial and economic transformation of the continent.

He said the administration of President Tinubu remains committed to leveraging opportunities across the country to develop and transform the cassava value chain through accelerated and coordinated intervention programmes.

On his part, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said cassava holds immense promise, not only for food security but for industrial transformation.

According to him, “At the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, we are actively working to unlock the full potential of the cassava value chain. Some of our strategic efforts include supporting research and development through partnerships.

“We remain committed to collaborating with all stakeholders, government, development agencies, the private sector and our youths to advance Nigeria’s global leadership in cassava production and utilisation. Together we can transfer cassava from a staple food to the cornerstone of Nigeria’s industrial economy.”

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr Kingsley Uzoma, said the celebration of the 2025 World Cassava Day reinforces the Federal Government’s vision of coordinated action in driving agricultural and economic transformation in Nigeria.

He said marking the day aims at putting the crop at the forefront of socio-economic transformation and repositioning it as a strategic raw material by empowering smallholder farmers, expanding infrastructure and prioritising access to finance.

In a goodwill message, the Regional Chief Operating Officer, AFREXIM Bank, Mr Alain-Thierry Mbongue, said the World Cassava Day is an invitation to all stakeholders to explore one of Nigeria’s most enterprising sectors.

According to him, cassava holds the power to transform the agricultural sector, galvanise industrial growth, job creation and boost foreign exchange earnings.

Agriculture, he noted, is at the forefront of the bank’s impactful initiative, stating the pivotal role of the bank in boosting Nigeria’s agricultural revolution through improved fertiliser production.

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