The Federal Government Tuesday moved to stem rising food prices in the country by directing the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention to immediately wade in.
Assuring Nigerians that there was no food shortage, the government alleged that saboteurs were capitalising on Naira’s depreciation to escalate the cost of food items.
Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu convened the meeting at the behest of the president.
Placard-carrying women and youths were on Monday taken to a major road in Minna, Niger State, to protest the high cost of foodstuffs.
The protesters called on the political officeholders to save them from hunger.
However, Governor Umar Bago, alleged sabotage by a cartel, which he accused of mopping up foodstuffs in order to cause a hike in prices.
Bago, who said the Federal Government was aware of the activities of the cartel, alleged that the aim of its members was to cause hunger and incite the people.
While the Minna protest lasted, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf said he would meet with the president over hunger in the state.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has directed the Special Presidential Committee on Emergency Food Intervention to immediately step into the worsening food security crisis in the country and stem the tide.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who disclosed this to journalists at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday after the Committee’s meeting, also gave assurances that there is no food shortage in the country.
He also informed the government that it had discovered an alleged sabotage in food pricing by some elements, whom he said were hiding behind Naira’s depreciation in the foreign exchange market to escalate pricing.
The committee’s meeting was held on the heels of protests in some parts of the country over the recent high cost of food items, which has worsened the general cost of living for most families nationwide.
However, in response to the rising public agitation over the situation, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, convened the special committee’s meeting Tuesday evening, at the behest of President Tinubu.
Disclosing some of the action plans of the committee to journalists, Idris said the government would be releasing food items from the National Food Reserves to boost food availability, just as it would be working with major millers and commodity traders on easing food prices.
“We just rounded off a meeting. It is a special presidential committee to address the issue of food shortages, or a lack of food on the tables of most Nigerians.
“What I will tell Nigerians is that the President has directed that the government step in to stem this tide. The government will not fold its arms and see the way Nigerians are suffering in terms of the availability of these food items.
“Now, some of these will involve unlocking the foods that are available in most of the storage facilities (National Food Reserve) around the country. You know that the Federal Minister of Agriculture has some food reserves. That is going to be made available to Nigerians.
“The government is also talking to major millers and major commodity traders to see what is available in their stores. To open it up, so that the government will provide some intervention, discuss with them, and provide some intervention to make this food available to Nigerians.
“What the government is noticing is that there is still food in this country. Some people are taking advantage of the situation, especially because of the high cost and the depreciation in the value of our currency, that has led to the cost of these food items also going up.
“So all these issues were discussed; the Governor of the Central Bank was here; the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy were in that meeting; and, of course, the Chief of Staff and the National Security Adviser, because it also has some national security implications.
“So all these have been discussed and like I said, this conversation or discussion is going to to continue.
He also assured that the government would continue working and taking steps to mend the current situation until it was finally sorted.
“This is just the beginning of that meeting. It is going to continue tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The government is very concerned about what Nigerians are going through, especially what has happened in Minna yesterday, and therefore government is taking some action to ensure that Nigerians have some relief in terms of the availability of food on the table.
“Of course, this meeting is not by itself exhaustive. It’s just, like I said, the beginning. It is going to continue tomorrow and the day after.
“So I want to plead with you to understand the government. By the time these meetings are concluded, we’ll be able to issue a definite statement on what the position of the government is in this regard. But all I can say is that discussions are ongoing, and very soon a solution is in sight for Nigerians.”
Asked if there were any immediate actions to follow the meeting, he said: “Some of them are dependent on the follow-up meeting for all this hardship. The government is stepping in a big way to ensure that Nigerians have succour going forward.”.