Regime Change and Policy Inconsistency: Implications for Agricultural Development in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the impact of regime change and policy inconsistency on agricultural development in Nigeria. Since independence, successive military and civilian administrations have introduced several agricultural policies and programmes aimed at promoting food security, employment generation, poverty reduction, and national development. These programmes include the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs), Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution (GR), National Fadama Development Project (NFDP), National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), and the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP). Despite these interventions, the agricultural sector has continued to experience low productivity and limited sustainable growth due to frequent policy discontinuity, weak implementation frameworks, corruption, inadequate funding, and political interference. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using historical and descriptive research designs, while data were obtained from secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, government publications, and policy documents. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings reveal that successive governments in Nigeria often abandon existing policies and introduce new programmes that align with their political interests rather than sustaining long-term national development strategies. This pattern has negatively affected agricultural productivity, food security, rural development, and economic growth. The study concludes that sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria depends largely on policy continuity, effective implementation, institutional strengthening, stakeholder participation, and adequate funding of the agricultural sector. The paper recommends the establishment of strong legal and institutional frameworks to ensure continuity of policies across regimes and promote long-term national development.