Tinubu Declares State of Emergency on Food Insecurity, Orders Release of Grains to Households

President Bola Tinubu has issued a state of emergency on food security and announced some plans focused on assuring food availability and affordability in Nigeria.

Dele Alake, special assistant to the president on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, explained the president's intervention on food security, food price, and sustainability during a press conference yesterday.

He stated that the president is aware of the impact of rising food costs on ordinary Nigerians and has emphasized assisting the most vulnerable society in dealing with the crisis.

According to him, the president's immediate response would involve declaring a state of emergency on food security and putting food and water availability and affordability within the purview of the National Security Council.

He stated that a variety of actions would be conducted in the coming days to tackle both short-term and long-term actions to battle the problem.

He said, “As a hands-on leader who follows developments across the country every day, 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 to a significant drop in demand, thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.”

Alake went on to say that, like with other situations, there are short-term, medium-term, and long-term interventions and remedies.

He added that immediate intervention tactics include the distribution of fertilizers and cereals to farmers and households to minimize the effects of the subsidy reduction.

Alake further stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources will collaborate to guarantee appropriate irrigation of farmlands, promote year-round food production, and eliminate seasonal farming.

He stated that a National Commodity Board comprises different agricultural stakeholders and will be constituted to stabilize food prices.

This board, he says, would regularly review food prices and manage a strategic food reserve, operating as a price stabilizing system for important grains and other food commodities.

The presidential spokesperson also noted that maintaining the safety of farmers and farmlands is a priority, and stated that the government will work with the security architecture to protect farmers from threats, allowing them to continue working without fear.

He went on to say that the Central Bank will continue to play an important role in supporting the agricultural value chain and that land banks would be activated to boost the availability of arable land for farming.

He stated that companies will be hired to clear more forests and convert them for farming purposes and that river basins will be used to enable crop planting during the dry season through irrigation schemes to ensure continuous farming production throughout the year, thereby addressing the issue of seasonal scarcity.

According to him, transportation and storage issues will be addressed by examining other modes of transportation, such as rail and water transport, to lower freight costs.

Existing warehouses and storage facilities will be renovated to increase efficiency and reduce food waste.

Alaka went on to say that President Tinubu's administration's actions seek not only to maintain food security, but also to boost agricultural export capability, increase income, and provide job opportunities.

“One of the major positive outcomes of these interventions will be a massive boost in employment and job creation,” he added.

He closed by saying that with 35.21% of employment in Nigeria, the government hopes to double this figure in the long run, producing between 5 and 10 million additional jobs throughout the agricultural value chain.