The Federal Government has intensified efforts to improve revenue collection and reduce leakages by engaging commercial banks to implement the Revenue Optimisation Assurance Platform (RevOp), a digital system designed to enhance transparency and accountability in public finance management.

The initiative was the focus of a sensitisation workshop organised by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) in Abuja on Friday.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, represented by the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, said the platform was introduced to modernise government revenue administration and address longstanding inefficiencies associated with manual processes.

According to him, RevOp provides a centralised digital platform that enables government agencies to generate bills, collect payments, monitor transactions, and report revenue in real time.

“RevOp serves as a critical tool in the government’s drive to improve revenue administration, reduce leakages and enhance public sector accountability,” he said.

Mr Oyedele said the government remains committed to deploying technology-driven solutions to strengthen revenue generation and improve financial management across public institutions.

He noted that while the platform has recorded progress since its introduction, implementation challenges persist, particularly among some banking personnel responsible for processing payments.

According to him, inadequate understanding of the platform’s processes by frontline banking staff has affected customer experience and transaction efficiency.

“These challenges, though operational in nature, have significant impacts on the overall customer experience and effectiveness of the initiative. This is precisely why we are here today,” he added.

The minister stressed that commercial banks play a critical role in ensuring the initiative’s success, adding that their responsibilities extend beyond collecting payments to supporting efficient revenue administration.

He urged financial institutions to ensure that knowledge gained from the workshop reaches branch managers, customer service officers and tellers who interact directly with members of the public.

Over 70 per cent of agencies are onboarded

Also speaking, the Director of Revenue and Investment at the OAGF, Adebayo Adewale, disclosed that more than 70 per cent of federal government-owned entities have already been integrated into the platform.

He explained that RevOp was developed as a government-owned solution to eliminate operational silos and streamline revenue collection across ministries, departments and agencies.

According to him, the platform works through existing licensed payment service providers and commercial banks nationwide.

“People will be presenting RevOp-generated bills to commercial banks for payment, and we expect prompt collection,” he said.

The Product Manager of RevOp, Idris Dosunmu, said the platform integrates billing, payment, and settlement processes into a single framework, ensuring greater transparency from bill generation to final remittance.

“This will ensure that every penny due to the federal government goes into government coffers,” he noted.

The Revenue Optimisation Assurance Platform forms part of the Federal Government’s broader public finance reform programme aimed at improving accountability, boosting non-oil revenue and strengthening oversight of public funds.

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Approved by the Federal Executive Council, the platform enables real-time monitoring and reconciliation of government revenues while integrating with other digital financial management systems.

Earlier this month, government officials disclosed that 31 ministries, departments and agencies had already been onboarded onto the platform, with plans to expand coverage across the public sector.

Authorities say the initiative is expected to help curb fraud, improve revenue tracking and strengthen confidence in government financial management systems as Nigeria seeks to increase domestic revenue mobilisation.

President Bola Tinubu has announced that Nigeria has secured more than 449,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs—equivalent to about nine million bags—to support agricultural production and strengthen food security across the country.

The president disclosed this in a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday, describing the development as part of broader measures by his administration to fulfil its commitment to making Nigeria food-secure.

“As of May 2026, more than 449,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs, equivalent to about nine million bags, had been secured, with 10 vessels discharged or in transit,” Mr Tinubu said.

He recalled that upon assuming office, his administration identified food security as a central pillar of its Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We promised to support our farmers, strengthen local production, reduce dependence on imports, and build an agricultural system strong enough to withstand shocks from beyond our borders.

“That promise is being kept,” he said.

Fertiliser procurement challenges

Nigeria has long struggled with fertiliser procurement due to rising raw material costs, supply chain bottlenecks, and product diversion, challenges that have limited access for smallholder farmers who account for a significant share of domestic food production.

To address these concerns, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari entered strategic partnerships with Morocco in 2016 and Russia in 2019 under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

The initiative began with a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at reviving dormant fertiliser blending plants and importing discounted phosphate from Morocco. In 2021, the partnership expanded into a $1.3 billion basic chemicals platform designed to support local production of ammonia and fertilisers.

The arrangement increased the supply of raw materials to blending plants, boosted domestic production capacity and reduced fertiliser costs. However, challenges, including diversion and sabotage within parts of the value chain continued to limit access for farmers.

Experts have linked inadequate fertiliser availability to declining agricultural yields, rising food prices and worsening food insecurity.

Nigeria’s food system has come under increasing pressure in recent years due to recurrent flooding, insecurity in farming communities, rising transportation costs following fuel subsidy removal, and broader structural challenges.

According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), about 35 million Nigerians are projected to experience acute food insecurity during the 2026 lean season.

Global disruptions

Mr Tinubu said disruptions in global supply chains and rising costs of key fertiliser inputs, worsened by conflict in the Middle East, posed significant risks to countries dependent on imported raw materials.

For Nigeria, he said, the potential consequences included fertiliser shortages, higher input costs, reduced productivity and increased food prices.

“I am pleased to inform you that we moved early,” the president said.

He explained that through the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, now restructured under the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), the government strengthened procurement systems, secured critical raw materials, signed forward contracts and improved coordination across the fertiliser value chain.

According to him, these measures helped shield Nigeria’s fertiliser blending industry from the worst effects of global market disruptions.

Mr Tinubu said the government remains on course to deliver a 1.1 million metric tonne fertiliser programme in 2026, equivalent to about 22 million bags.

He added that strategic contracting for key inputs generated savings of N61.58 billion in 2026 alone, helping to keep fertiliser prices relatively affordable for farmers.

Supporting farmers

The president noted that Nigeria currently has more than 90 operational fertiliser blending plants, giving the country the largest blending capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“This capacity means jobs, local production, industrial growth and greater resilience for our food system,” he said.

Mr Tinubu stressed, however, that securing fertiliser inputs and maintaining production capacity would only be meaningful if the products reach farmers on time.

To address this, he said the government launched the Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme (RH-FISP) through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).

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Under the programme, 515,720 bags of locally produced fertiliser are being distributed to 128,930 smallholder farmers across 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory during the current planting season.

The NADF is also supporting modern agricultural practices through digital extension services, harmonised fertiliser application guidance and targeted interventions for priority crops such as rice, maize, cassava and soybean.

“Our administration will not relent in its efforts to protect farmers, raise productivity, strengthen the agricultural value chain, support local industry and ease pressure on food prices over time,” Mr Tinubu said.

“This is the meaning of promise made, promise kept. We will continue to take practical steps to strengthen Nigerian agriculture and protect food security for every Nigerian.”