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The Federal Government has received the final report of the National Technical Working Group on the World Bank-supported $500 million Sustainable Agricultural Value Chains for Growth Programme (AGROW).

This was disclosed by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Mr Shettima noted that the receipt of the final report marks the conclusion of the programme’s design phase and its transition to implementation.

He said the government, through the AGROW programme, is bridging the gap between farmers and national planning and policy-making decisions at the centre.

The VP noted that while the challenge in the agricultural sector had been the distance between farmers who till the earth and the systems that determine what their labour is worth, the government is set to implement the process of shortening that distance.

The US$500 million World Bank-supported programme was developed through seven zonal consultations involving 32 states, reflecting the increasing commitment of subnational governments to agricultural development.

It also reflected the state’s readiness to assume greater responsibility for productivity, infrastructure, extension services and market development.

The Vice President described the AGROW programme report as the conclusion of a design process that restores the farmer to the centre of our national economic reasoning, where he has always belonged.

“Today marks the transition of AGROW from programme design to implementation,” he added.

Mr Shettima maintained that the World Bank US$500 million Nigerian agriculture programme is targeted at developing a programme rooted in the realities of farmers, delivered through Nigeria’s states, and capable of attracting the private investment required to move agriculture from subsistence to scale.

The Vice President noted that agriculture, a sector that accounts for 23 per cent of the nation’s GDP and sustains 34 per cent of its workforce, must not be treated as a negligible sector, attended to at leisure and financed at the margins.

He said no other sector carries as many livelihoods or touches as many households as the agriculture sector, noting that most Nigerians earn a living from the tilling of the soil.

“When yields rise, food prices ease, rural incomes recover, industries receive raw materials, and the pressure on our cities and foreign reserves begins to relax. When yields fall, the entire economy discovers the price of hunger.

“Productivity on the farm is therefore a question of growth, employment, food security and poverty reduction. What we do to the farm, we do to the nation,” Mr Shettima stated.

The Vice President expressed satisfaction with the response from states, saying it reveals the scale of the opportunity before the nation.

He stressed that the participation of 32 states in seven consultations to shape AGROW reflects “both the urgency of the challenges confronting agriculture and the growing appetite across Nigeria for agricultural development and investment.”

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Nigeria has dropped to 90th position on the latest Henley Passport Index, with holders of the Nigerian passport able to access 44 destinations without obtaining a visa in advance.

The July 2026 global ranking, released by Henley & Partners on Tuesday, ranked the Nigerian passport 90th out of 199 passports assessed worldwide, with a visa-free score of 44.

The new ranking marks a one-place drop from the 89th position Nigeria occupied in the April 2026 edition of the index, while the country’s visa-free score remained unchanged at 44 destinations.

In a statement on its website on Tuesday, Henley & Partners said the index, released on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, ranks passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without obtaining a prior visa.

It added that the ranking covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations using data from the International Air Transport Association.

Among African countries, South Africa retained the continent’s strongest passport, ranking 49th globally with visa-free access to 101 destinations.

Botswana followed in 61st place with access to 81 destinations, while Ghana ranked 70th with a visa-free score of 67. Morocco placed 67th with 71 destinations, while Kenya shared the 68th position with 70 destinations.

Nigeria ranked alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkmenistan, each with visa-free access to 44 destinations.

Globally, Singapore retained the world’s most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 192 destinations.

Japan ranked second with access to 188 destinations, while South Korea and the United Arab Emirates shared third place with 187 destinations.

The United States of America sits disappointingly at 10th position with 180 destinations.

At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan remained the world’s weakest passport, with visa-free access to just 22 destinations.

Syria ranked 103rd with access to 25 destinations, while Iraq placed 102nd with 28 destinations.

The latest ranking comes months after Nigeria climbed six places on the Henley Passport Index between January 2024 and April 2026, rising from 95th to 89th despite its visa-free access falling from 45 to 44 destinations.

According to Henley’s April 2026 report, Nigeria lost visa-free access to countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe and Somalia over recent years, although it gained access to several Pacific island destinations.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army battalion in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, in a move aimed at strengthening security and combating criminal activities across the state.

The approval was disclosed in a statement issued by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Mashood AbdulRafiu Agboola.

According to the statement, the new military formation is expected to reinforce security operations in areas affected by banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes by increasing the deployment of military personnel and operational assets.

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for approving the request, describing the decision as a significant step toward improving security and protecting lives and property.

The governor also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, for the swift processing of the state’s request for an expanded military presence.

He said the establishment of the battalion would strengthen the capacity of security agencies to respond more effectively to threats posed by bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements operating within and around the state.

> “On behalf of the people and government of our state, I wholeheartedly thank Mr. President for yet another promise kept to the state. We are confident that the new battalion will greatly strengthen counter-terrorism and anti-kidnapping operations across various areas,” the governor said.

AbdulRazaq further acknowledged the contributions of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies for their continued efforts in tackling insecurity in Kwara State.

He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to supporting coordinated security operations aimed at curbing kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes while ensuring the safety and well-being of residents across the state.