President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate release of 42,000 metric tons of assorted food items to serve as a short-term response to the rising food shortage in the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the food items are both from the strategic reserve and the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the directive after a meeting of the special presidential committee on emergency food intervention on Thursday.
Idris said the government has proposed to embark on importation of whatever shortfalls that may be experienced after the release of the food commodities.
The minister added that the government will sanction food hoarders noting that emergency situations require emergency measures to ensure food is available to Nigerians.
On February 6, the presidential committee on emergency food intervention met at the presidential villa, Abuja over the rising cost of living in the country.
The committee was convened by the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The meeting was attended by National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso; Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman; Minister of Finance Wale Edun; and Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, as well as Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri.
Since the removal of the subsidy on petrol by Tinubu on May 29, 2023, there has been a steady increase in the prices of basic items and staples.
Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 28.9 per cent in December 2023 — up from 28.20 per cent in the previous month.
