It has also set up a committee comprising the National
Security Adviser, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, and
the Inspector-General of Police to clamp down on traders hoarding grains.
This formed part of the resolutions reached at Thursday’s an
emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim
Shettima, and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Assessing the government’s action to tackle the hardship in
the country, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and the organised private
supported the decision of the President and the governors not to adopt
importation as a solution to the biting food crisis facing the nation.
They also backed the planned action against hoarders as the
Nigeria Customs Service vowed to stop smuggling of food out of the country.
The prices of staples have gone up in recent times with the
National Bureau of Statistics listing the 2023 December food inflation at 33.93
per cent, up from 23.75 per cent in December 2022.
Reports say the prices of staples like rice, beans, oils,
plantain, grains, fish, poultry, and meat have surged by 50 per cent and this
has triggered protests against the harsh development across the country.
Data obtained from the consumer price index reports by the
NBS indicated Nigeria spent N1.47tn on importing food and beverages in the
first six months of 2023.
A former Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr
Mohammad Abubakar, had said that the country had enough food to feed all its
citizens, but it failed to grow more food for its fast-rising population due to
insecurity, flooding, and low mechanisation, among other reasons.
This forced the country to spend millions of dollars yearly importing food, putting further
pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves as it battles with forex
scarcity.
‘No food import’
Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting, the
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained
that importing food would hurt the struggling economy further.
Idris, had earlier on February 8 after the Special
Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention met at the Presidential
Villa, said the administration would import essential supplies to augment
shortages observed after releasing 102,000 metric tonnes of food items
nationwide.
“Now, the third item is that the government is also looking
at the possibility, if it becomes necessary, as an interim measure in the short
run also to import some of these commodities,” he had said.
However, the minister disclosed that the Federal Government
reconsidered its decision as it would “reverse” some of the gains of the past
few months.
Idris announced, “In the interest of our country, there will
be no need for food importation at this point. Nigeria has the potential to
feed itself and even be a net exporter of food items to other countries.
“And we do not want to reverse some of the progress we have
seen regarding food production in this country.
“What we’re seeing now is just a temporary difficulty that
will soon go away. Therefore, the solution is continuous investment in
agriculture to make food available to all Nigerians.”
He cited President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of
emergency on food security last July, adding that the state governors had
agreed to “join hands with Mr President to deepen their investment in the agricultural
sector so that more food will be made available to Nigerians.”
Idris noted that this investment would transcend crop
production into livestock development and management.
Battle against hoarders
Also, the President directed “the National Security Adviser,
the Director General of the State Services and the Inspector-General of Police
to coordinate with the state governors to look at the issue of those hoarding
commodities.”
Idris explained the rationale for the move, saying, “At this
point, the nation requires food to be brought out to the people so that we can
control prices and put food on the table for most Nigerians, while other
commodity traders are busy hoarding these commodities so that Nigerians will suffer
or they will make more money as a result.
“So, the governors and Mr President have taken this decision
that security agencies will collaborate with the state governors to ensure that
this end.”
According to a statement by the Special Adviser on
Information and Strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu urged the
governors to pay all salary arrears to state workers and gratuities to
pensioners as a way to put money into the hands of the
people since states are now getting more monthly federal allocations.
“Spend the money, don’t spend the people,’’ the President
reportedly admonished the state helmsmen.
Onanuga in a post on his X handle clarified that the meeting
was necessitated by the rising prices of food items, insecurity, and
delayed/non-payment of salaries and gratuities.
He explained that the participants agreed on common grounds
to address some of the challenges facing the country, particularly, the rising
cost of food and insecurity.
“After extensive deliberations, the President and governors
agreed to work together to solve the problems and tackle the economic pressure
being faced by the citizens,” Onanuga wrote.
Addressing the insecurity which is also affecting farming
and food production, he explained that President Tinubu said more police
personnel would be recruited to strengthen the force.
He stated, “The President advised against the idea of food
importation and price control when local food producers should be encouraged to
produce more food.
“The President advised the governors to follow the example
of Kano State in dealing with the hoarding of food for profiteering by
commodities merchants.’’
Also, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed more details of Tinubu’s discussion in a
statement on Thursday titled ‘President Tinubu to 36 state governors s: there
must be zero tolerance for incompetence; support local farmers to boost food
production and remove rent seekers.’
According to the statement, Tinubu at the meeting said he would not set up any board to regulate the
soaring prices of food commodities in the country.
“What I will not do is to set a price control board. I will
not also approve the importation of food,” Tinubu was quoted to have said this
at the meeting.
His comments came days after Vice President Kashim Shettima
hinted at plans to establish a national
commodity board to curtail the escalating food inflation in Nigeria.
Supporting the Federal Government, the National President of
the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and
Agriculture, Dele Oye, in a statement titled “NACCIMA’s position on food
security and measures to reinforce local agricultural productivity,” supported
the President and the governors.
He said, “We commend the President’s directive to state and
Federal Government agencies to enhance collaboration in bolstering local food
production rather than resorting to food importation and price control. This
approach aligns with NACCIMA’s core objectives of championing the agricultural
value chain and supporting local producers. It is a vital step toward
self-sufficiency and economic resilience.
“However, we believe that the issue of rising food costs is
multifaceted. While local production capacity is a critical factor, we cannot
overlook the significant impact of the depreciating value of the Naira.
“The current exchange rate exerts inflationary pressure on
input costs, thereby affecting overall food prices. To counter this, a robust
economic policy aimed at defending the Naira to reach an acceptable exchange
rate of 750 Naira to one USD is essential. A stable currency will not only make
agricultural inputs more affordable but will also bolster consumer purchasing
power.”
Oye noted that to further incentives to local production, the government should
facilitate access to more single-digit interest loans and grants for farmers.’’
According to him, financial support is pivotal in empowering
farmers to scale up production and adopt modern agricultural practices.
He added, “Additionally, we appeal for the enhancement of
security and infrastructure in farming communities. These measures will
mitigate the risks faced by farmers, reduce production bottlenecks, and
increase efficiency throughout the agricultural value chain.
“We concur with the President’s call for vigilance against
hoarding practices that exploit consumers and distort market dynamics. NACCIMA
advocates for fair trade practices that encourage competitive pricing without
compromising the welfare of our local producers and consumers.”
Regarding livestock development, the NACCIMA boss urged the
state governments to take proactive steps in increasing poultry and fishery
production.
He stated, “This diversification will not only enrich the
Nigerian diet but also create numerous employment opportunities within these
sub-sectors.”
On his part, the President of the All Farmers Association of
Nigeria, Kabir Ibrahim, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the President
should not allow the importation of food as the country strived to tackle the
food crisis.
“The government should not allow the importation of food
into Nigeria, because if it allows it, we will lose all the gains that we have
made in domestic food production. We had attained some measure of success in
looking inward.
“So we are very happy that the President has ruled out the
importation of any food from anywhere. We have also seen the result of making
people release their food crops to the market.
“In my village, for instance, when people were asked to
bring out their produce in large volumes to the market, the prices dropped.
They may not necessarily be hoarding it, but are keeping these produce in
stores for them to sell at a later date,” Ibrahim stated.
He said the decision of the government to order food
producers to release their products to the market would help check the
continued rise in the prices of food items.
“So I encourage the security agencies to move in with some
other government officials and ask people to open their stores to sell what
they have at the prevailing prices. The commodities should be sold at the
prevailing prices.
“Nobody is asking them to bring down their prices, for once
they sell at the prevailing prices they will not lose anything. But hoarding is
not allowed anywhere in the world. You cannot keep what is needed and make them
scarce.
“So the government should move in and do all it could to
address this situation in Nigeria now. The prices of commodities are rising and
the government has to wade in to tackle this issue, and it has our support on
this,” the farmers’ president told our correspondent.
22,308 hectares irrigation
In a positive development, the Federal Government, on
Thursday, announced the completion of 22,308 hectares of irrigation projects
and stated that the projects had been handed over to farmers for food
production.
It also said the development of irrigable areas totalling
over 15,000 hectares, adding that this would be handed over to farmers by the
end of the third quarter of 2024.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph
Utsev, who disclosed this at the ongoing 30th Regular Meeting of the National
Council on Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja, said the projects would
help in tackling the food crisis across the country.
Nigeria is currently facing a food crisis and as part of
measures to tackle this, the Federal Government declared on Wednesday that it
would distribute the 42,000 metric tonnes of grains approved by President
Tinubu to poor Nigerians at no cost.
Speaking on other measures adopted by the government to
tackle the country’s food crisis, the water resources minister told
participants at the meeting in Abuja on Thursday that over 20,000 hectares of
irrigated land had been provided for farmers.
Utsev said, “Irrigated agricultural practice has been
identified as key to a vibrant Nigerian economy, accounting for a high
percentage of Gross Domestic Product and a viable intervention option that will
ensure national food security and poverty alleviation.
“Since the last council meeting (in 2023), some completed
irrigation schemes have been completed and handed over to farmers for
cultivation through the World Bank-sponsored Transforming Irrigation Management
in Nigeria project.
“These schemes include the Hadejia Valley 5,750 hectares
irrigation scheme in Jigawa State; Kano River 14,444 hectares irrigation scheme
in Kano State; Gari 2,114 hectares irrigation project in Kano and Jigawa
States.”
Utsev also stated that the water ministry was “developing
irrigable areas totalling over 15,000 hectares, which is nearing completion.
This will be handed over to farmers by the end of the third quarter of year
2024.”
To transform and promote irrigation development towards
sustainable food production and security for the greater socio-economic
well-being of the nation, the ministry had proposed to channel all efforts
towards achieving the target of developing 500,000 hectares of land by 2030.
“This will be achieved in collaboration with the Federal
Department of Irrigation and Drainage, River Basin Development Authorities,
states, LGAs, and the private sector,” the minister stated.
Following a report published by The PUNCH on the smuggling of rice to the neighbouring Niger
Republic, Nigeria Customs Service has vowed to henceforth stop the smuggling of
foodstuffs out of the country.
The Controller in charge of Zone 4, Kolapo Oladeji, said the
customs had resolved to use all legal means to ensure no foodstuff was smuggled
through any of the land borders.
Speaking while parading some pharmaceutical drugs allegedly
smuggled into the country by smugglers at the Customs Sokoto command office on
Thursday, he described the activities of the smugglers as unpatriotic and
against the development of the country.
He said, “We have been mandated by the Comptroller-General
of Customs to ensure that no food is smuggled out of the country henceforth.
“My team in Zone 4 comprising North-West states have been
empowered through manpower and other equipment to ensure that the task ahead of
us is tackled judiciously.’’
“It is an act of wickedness when our government invests and
encourages more people into farming, and some elements within the country now
prefer to smuggle such foodstuffs to the neighbouring countries.
“It has to be stopped and I want to assure residents of the
state that we are fully ready and prepared to stop such activities henceforth.”
In a similar vein, the Minister of State for Labour and
Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, has said the Federal Government is working
hard to find solutions to the rising cost of living crisis.
She said though the federal and state governments never
envisaged the current realities, the Tinubu administration was working to
arrest the situation and restore normalcy.
She said this in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during the
inauguration and dedication of Adamimogo House, which housed the Adamimogo
105.1 FM, the Light Hotel and Event Centre owned by Olu Alo.
She urged Nigerians to keep supporting the government with
their prayers.
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