Just in: Tinubu declares state of emergency on food security

President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on food security.⁣

Tinubu 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.⁣

Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, disclosed this 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.

Meanwhile, 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. ⁣

Mr. President has made it clear that we are no longer comfortable with seasonal farming. We can no longer afford to have farming downtime.

Alake explained that the government at the centre will activate land banks nationwide, which currently stand at 500,000 hectares mapped to increase the availability of arable land for farming which will immediately impact food output.

This is as the Central Bank has advised middlemen withholding grains to release supplies at their disposal as prices are likely to fall when the government begins to distribute grains.⁣

Alake was accompanied to the press briefing by the Special to the President on Revenue, Zacch Adedeji, Special Adviser on Industry, Trade and Investment, John Uwajimogu and the acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Wale Adeniyi among others.

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,  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 to many Nigerians in all parts of the country.

This has led 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 a number of initiatives that will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Nigerians.