The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has disclosed that Nigeria loses an estimated $10 billion annually to post-harvest losses.

Kyari made the disclosure on Tuesday at the ongoing 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#32) organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in Abuja.

Speaking as a panellist on the theme ‘Productivity Revolution for Growth’, the minister said the losses cut across both grains and perishables.

He said Nigeria loses between 15 and 20 per cent of its grains – including rice, maize and millet – despite their relatively longer shelf life, while losses for perishable produce such as tomatoes, pepper, onions, fruits and vegetables could reach 60 to 70 per cent depending on the season.

“We lose almost about $10 billion annually on post-harvest losses,” Kyari said.

“About 15 to 20 per cent on grains, and you can see grains that are hard, and you probably think we will not lose much of that, but we lose on grains, on cereal, rice, maize, and so on and so forth, millet.

“Tomato, pepper, onion, and other fruits and vegetables, we lose some of that as high as 60 to 70 per cent depending on the season,” he added.

Kyari attributed the high waste, especially for tomatoes, to short shelf life, hot weather, poor storage, weak processing capacity, poor transportation and market infrastructure.

He described tackling post-harvest losses as a low-hanging fruit for improving food security, noting that addressing storage gaps could significantly increase food availability and farmers’ earnings without expanding cultivated land.

The minister also lamented the poor performance of federal silos. He revealed that out of 17 silo complexes concessioned to private operators out of 33 built by the Federal Government, only three are currently performing.

The Federal Government has approved a monthly transport allowance of N70,000 for public servants for six months beginning November 2026 to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

The approval was part of key resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.

The meeting was convened to address concerns raised by organised labour over workers’ welfare, outstanding allowances, rising cost of living and implementation of the national minimum wage.

According to a Memorandum of Understanding signed at the end of the meeting, the transport intervention will apply “across all levels” of the federal public service.

The MoU was signed by Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; NLC President, Joe Ajaero; Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U; and Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.

The government also approved payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears with effect from May 1, 2026. The arrears will be paid in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November 2026.

In addition, 19 months outstanding allowances owed health workers will be cleared within three months, beginning December 2026.

On hazard allowance for agricultural officers, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has submitted the list of beneficiaries and cost implications to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for verification. The verification is expected to be completed within two weeks.

The parties, however, failed to agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage, but agreed to immediately constitute the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee to commence work.

Speaking after the meeting, NLC Assistant Secretary-General, Chris Onyeka, described the discussions as productive but said it fell short of labour’s expectations.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has opened the Preliminary Register of Voters for the 2027 general elections on its online platform after public outcry.

INEC announced on Monday, October 26, that the register earlier displayed physically at Registration Areas nationwide from October 9 to 15, 2026, is now available online at https://display.inecnigeria.org.

The commission said the move followed concerns raised by Nigerians, civil society and opposition leaders, including African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, over the accessibility of the register.

National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said in a statement that INEC “has taken note of the concerns expressed by Nigerians and other stakeholders regarding the desirability of making the Register accessible through its online platform in addition to the physical display already conducted.”

“Accordingly, and in furtherance of its commitment to transparency, accessibility and public confidence in the electoral process, the Commission has decided to make available on its online platform the same Preliminary Register of Voters earlier displayed at the Registration Areas,” Haruna said.

INEC said the physical display was conducted in line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act, 2026, to allow voters inspect their particulars and submit claims and objections.

The commission clarified that the online publication is an additional measure to complement, not replace, the physical exercise.

It said it is currently processing claims and objections from the display exercise ahead of the certification and publication of the Final Register of Voters on December 15, 2026.