By The North-East Caucus of the National Assembly has expressed outrage over the exclusion of their region from the federal government’s Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) initiative.
Comprising lawmakers from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States, the Caucus urged President Bola Tinubu to address what they called an unfair oversight, given the region’s status as Nigeria’s largest livestock hub.
Following an emergency meeting in Abuja, Caucus Chairman Senator Danjuma Goje decried the omission, stating, “Despite our immense agricultural contributions, the North-East was conspicuously left out. This is unacceptable.”
The SAPZ project, launched by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Kaduna, is part of a $530 million initiative backed by the federal government and international lenders. However, the first phase includes Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Cross River, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, and the FCT—leaving out the North-East entirely.
Lawmakers are now demanding the region’s immediate inclusion, insisting that “fairness and inclusivity” are crucial to achieving the administration’s goal of industrializing Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
