President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on food security. The president also approved 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.
The Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House correspondents after consultations with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that the President has directed an immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
According to him, “We will immediately release fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
“There will be an organic synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the use of water resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is available all years round.
“As a country, Mr. President has made it clear that we are no longer comfortable with seasonal farming. We can no longer afford to have farming downtime.”
He explained that the briefing was to update the public on President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s immediate response to the current food inflation in the country.
He said, “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 & water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.
“As a direct and immediate response to this crisis, a number of initiatives will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Nigerians.
“As for storage, existing warehouses and tanks will be revamped to cut waste & ensure efficient preservation of food items.
“We will Increase revenue from food and agricultural exports. As we ensure there is sufficient, affordable food for the populace, we will concurrently work on stimulating the export capacity of the Agric sector,” he added.
