The Federal government has revealed plans to overhaul the Silos Concession Programme to ensure a resilient, efficient, and effective storage system that reduces losses, improves the food storage ecosystem, and achieves food sovereignty.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, said the overhaul was necessary because out of the 17 silo complexes concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria, which operates three silo complexes under three separate Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), has met all conditions and is performing optimally.

Speaking at a high-level meeting with the delegation from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) led by the Director General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, the Minister lamented the annual loss of over $10 billion to post-harvest issues.

Stressing the urgent need to revitalise silo storage facilities in the country, he said, “Storage facilities are essential to our food security drive, as they directly address wastage and ensure year-round availability of staple crops.”

He revealed that during the monitoring and review of the silos, the ministry found that several concessionaires failed to put silo facilities into optimal operating condition despite earlier agreements, and there was little or no progress in some facilities, with reports of vandalism and perimeter fence collapses in locations such as Ikorodu and Ogoja.

He further revealed that the ministry would work closely with ICRC to strengthen oversight, enforce compliance, and ensure that only competent private operators manage silo facilities.

According to him, this renewed push aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agricultural transformation agenda, which aims to achieve food and nutrition security.

In his remarks, the Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, stated that only private companies with real operational needs for silos should be retained. He also advised that the federal government should retrieve abandoned silos.

He pointed out that some concessionaires have failed to remit required returns to government coffers.

The highlight of the meeting was the establishment of a committee to review contractual clauses, assess performance, and establish clear guidelines for modus operandi, monitoring, and evaluation, among other tasks.