Nigeria’s ambitious plan to become a sugar-producing powerhouse has been thrown into fresh controversy as a sweeping Freedom of Information (FOI) probe targets billions of naira spent over the past decade.
The Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) — a flagship agricultural industrialisation programme — is now under intense scrutiny, with calls for a full audit of funds, projects, and investor commitments from 2012 to 2022.
At the centre of the storm is a formal FOI request filed by the Trustees of Rural Development, Information and Legal Advocacy (RUDILAC) to the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), demanding detailed records on how public resources have been utilised.
The group is seeking answers to critical questions:
Where are the promised factories? What happened to the investments? And why is Nigeria still heavily dependent on imported sugar?
According to RUDILAC’s counsel, Rifkat Ali, access to key records is essential to verify claims surrounding the multi-billion-naira programme.
“We are heavily dependent on imported sugar while many of the promised outcomes remain difficult to verify,” she stated.
The probe is zeroing in on ambitious targets that included 28 sugar factories, large-scale plantations, and specialised bio-factories meant to drive productivity. Authorities have now been asked to disclose which projects are completed, ongoing, abandoned, or never started.
The request also demands transparency on:
Beneficiaries of the Sugar Development Fund
Companies that failed to meet investment obligations
Land acquired for sugarcane cultivation across multiple states
Disputes between host communities and investors
Observers say long-standing issues such as community conflicts, stalled projects, and weak reporting systems may have undermined the programme’s success.
Transparency advocates insist that institutions managing public funds must be fully accountable, especially in large-scale development projects tied to national food security and industrial growth.
In a major legal twist, the Federal High Court in Abuja has already stepped in. On June 3, 2026, Justice Binta Nyako granted leave for judicial review in the case between RUDILAC and NSDC, with September 22, 2026 fixed for hearing.
The ruling reinforces a clear message: public institutions must answer to the people.
Failure by the NSDC to comply with FOI disclosure requirements could trigger legal consequences, including possible criminal proceedings against its officials.
As the probe deepens, Nigerians are now watching closely — demanding answers on a programme that promised sweet success but is now facing bitter questions.
