Nigeria’s Agricultural College in Kano Spends Over N330 Million on Motorcycles and Solar Streetlights Across Multiple States
September 16, 2024
By Okafor Joseph Afam
The Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology in Kano State has expended over N330 million on the procurement of motorcycles and the construction of solar streetlights across several states in Nigeria, including Kano and Cross River, as well as in some unidentified locations.
Payment records obtained from GovSpend, a platform operated by BudgIT Foundation, revealed that the college made payments amounting to N334,782,090.8 on August 4, 2024. These funds were used for the supply of motorcycles in the Albasu, Gaya, and Ajingi Federal Constituency of Kano State, and for the installation of solar streetlights in Cross River and various unidentified states.
Earlier reports highlighted the allocation of N2.28 billion for these projects under the 2024 Fiscal Appropriation Act, raising questions about whether the Federal College of Produce Inspection and Stored Products Technology, Kano, was acting within its constitutional mandate.
The college, which serves as the training arm of the Nigerian Stored Produce Research Institute (NSPRI) under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, was originally established in 1975 and focuses on middle-level manpower training in produce inspection and stored products technology. Its mandate, according to its website, is to support agricultural development and contribute to sustainable food security in Nigeria.
However, payments revealed in the GovSpend data indicate that significant funds were allocated to projects outside the college’s core mandate. For instance, the college paid Speedway Assurance Ltd N13,966,425 as a 30% mobilization fee for the installation of 39 solar streetlights in the Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, Cross River State. Another N14,039,784 was paid to Equal Value Ltd for a similar project in the same constituency.
In addition, the college made payments for the construction of classroom blocks and boreholes in various locations, including N131,048,724.29 to Jls Brothers Ltd for 26 boreholes as part of an energy poverty intervention project.
The spending also extended to Kano State, where N7,842,359.25 was paid to Synthex Agro Consult Nig Ltd for the supply of 30 motorcycles in the Albasu, Gaya, Ajingi Federal Constituency. Further payments were made for streetlight installations in Kumbotso and Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituencies, amounting to millions more.
Questions remain about the appropriateness of these expenditures, given the college’s stated mission to support agricultural research and development in Nigeria.
