The Federal Government has reaffirmed the crucial role of cashew in driving Nigeria’s non-oil export ambitions, describing the crop as a major pillar in the country’s push to diversify its economy away from crude oil dependency.

Speaking on Monday, Mr. Abiodun Yinusa, the Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, emphasized that Nigeria cannot achieve its export diversification goals without a stable and well-managed National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN).

He explained that the recent constitution of an Interim National Committee for NCAN was a timely step toward restoring order after years of internal leadership crises and constitutional violations.

“NCAN is too important to Nigeria’s non-oil export economy to be left in crisis. We are trying to sanitize our agricultural institutions and ensure they contribute meaningfully to our economy without over-dependence on oil revenue,” Yinusa said.

He praised the appointment of Mr. Ademola Adesokan as the Interim National President of NCAN, describing him as a credible leader with deep experience in agribusiness and commitment to sectoral growth.

According to Yinusa, the new NCAN leadership is expected to work in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which focuses on food security, value addition, and agricultural transformation.

He further disclosed that the Presidency has mandated all NCAN state chapters to be restructured and conduct elections within one year to ensure transparency and democratic leadership.

The Presidential aide also commended the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) for their contributions to the Cashew Policy Roadmap, reaffirming NCAN’s role as a strategic partner in its implementation.

Yinusa concluded by noting that the government expects the interim NCAN team to operate transparently, democratically, and in full alignment with national agricultural policy objectives.