Atiku criticizes Tinubu over agricultural trade reversal

Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, saying agricultural trade shifted from a surplus to a deficit between the first halves of 2025 and 2026 as exports declined. The figures were cited by Abubakar, a former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, in a statement issued by his campaign. Abubakar said Nigeria’s agricultural trade balance moved from a ₦740.27 billion surplus in the first half of 2025 to a ₦56.13 billion deficit in the corresponding period of 2026, a reversal of ₦796.40 billion. He also said agricultural exports fell 33.3 percent. The supplied reports do not reproduce the underlying trade tables, and the figures were presented as part of Abubakar’s statement. He blamed what he described as insecurity, high production costs and inadequate conditions for domestic processing, arguing that those challenges weigh on farmers and manufacturers. He said exporting largely unprocessed crops, including cocoa beans and cashew nuts, limits Nigeria’s ability to retain more value and create jobs.