Farmers plan nationwide protest over disappearance of cocoa board bill at NASS

Cocoa farmers have announced plans to stage coordinated protests across major cocoa producing states over the unexplained disappearance of the Cocoa Board Establishment Bill at the National Assembly.

The farmers, under the umbrella of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), said the action is meant to draw urgent national attention to what they described as deliberate legislative sabotage of a bill critical to the survival and revival of Nigeria’s cocoa sector.

Adeola Adegoke, President CFAN in an exclusive chat with Businessday said the bill, which had been duly sponsored and submitted for legislative consideration, suddenly vanished from the legislative process without any official explanation.

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He stated that the protest is aimed at seeking clarification on the status of the bill as all efforts to reach members of NASS to seek clarification had proved abortive.

“Repeated efforts by farmers and stakeholders to track the bill and obtain clarification from relevant legislative offices had yielded no concrete response”, he said.

According to him, the proposed Cocoa Board is designed to regulate the industry, strengthen quality control, stabilise prices, attract investments and protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen and foreign buyers.

He said the continued silence surrounding the bill had left farmers with no option but to embark on peaceful protests.

He warned that sustained neglect of the Cocoa sector could deepen rural poverty, weaken export earnings, and undermine Nigeria’s non-oil diversification drive.

Adegoke said protests are being mobilised in Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Cross River, Oyo, and other cocoa producing States, with farmers prepared to march to government offices and legislative complexes until clear answers are provided.

He urged the leadership of the National Assembly to immediately clarify the status of the bill and ensure its prompt reintroduction and passage.

He stressed that cocoa farmers deserve transparency, accountability, and effective policy protection.

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Nigeria remains one of Africa’s leading cocoa producers.

However, farmers say poor regulation, weak institutional support, and policy inconsistencies continue to limit productivity, earnings, and global competitiveness.