The frequency of drought coupled with low-nitrogen (N) soil and increasing cost of N fertilizer that limit maize productivity in West and Central Africa, necessitate breeding cultivars tolerance to both stresses. This study assesses (i) the relationship between maize inbreds performance and their hybrids under optimal, drought and low-N conditions and (ii) the mode of inheritance of nitrogen and drought tolerance stresses in maize. Ten extra-early maize inbred lines were crossed in a half-diallel mating design. The resultant hybrids were evaluated in three environments of managed drought-stress, low-N and optimum-N. Drought tolerant inbreds had high grain yield consistently across all the environments. Several hybrids with at least one tolerant parent generated tolerant hybrids, while crosses between susceptible inbreds produced susceptible hybrids. Additive genetic effects influenced grain yield, ears per plant, anthesis silking interval and leaf senescence under drought, while non-additive gene action conditioned grain yield under low-N. Varietal performance under low-N and drought stresses should lay emphasis on high grain yielding hybrids from parents with suitable general combining ability mean squares for grain yield, ears per plant, leaf senescence and anthesis silking interval under drought stress. Non-additive gene action governing grain yield under low-N and significant general combining ability estimate obtained for grain yield under drought stress signified that development of hybrid is desirable by exploring non-additive genetic control under low-N and drought stresses.