President Bola Tinubu announced a state of emergency on food security on Thursday, as the Federal Government increased measures to combat food inflation following the elimination of petroleum subsidies.
Tinubu also agreed to include in the National Security Council’s jurisdiction all issues concerning food and water availability and affordability as vital livelihood items.
This will be followed by the immediate distribution of fertiliser and cereals to farmers and households to alleviate the consequences of the subsidy termination.
Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, told State House journalists on Thursday that this resulted from meetings with key agricultural sector value chain players at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The President’s Special Adviser on Revenue, Zacheaus Adedeji; the Special Adviser on Industry, Trade, and Investment, John Uwajumogu; the Acting Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi; and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, Dr. Dorris Anite, among others, were in attendance with Alake at the briefing.
The Presidential aide explained the development by saying,
“Mr. President is not unmindful of the rising cost of food and how it affects the citizens. While availability is not a problem, affordability has been a major issue for many Nigerians in all parts of the country.
“This has led to a significant drop in demand, thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.
“Accordingly, in line with this administration’s position on ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported, Mr. President has declared, with immediate effect, the following actions: That a state of emergency on food security be announced immediately, and that all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.”
Furthermore, Alake described the immediate, medium, and long-term interventions and stated that the administration plans to use part of the savings from the withdrawal of fuel subsidies to reinvest in the agricultural sector with an emphasis on revitalising it.
He presented figures showing that, as of 2021, agriculture already accounted for around 35.21% of jobs in Nigeria.
“The target is to double this percentage to about 70 per cent in the long term,” he added.
cc: Punch Ng
