Tinubu declares a food security emergency

A state of emergency has been declared for food security by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dele Alake, the President’s Special Adviser for Special Duties, Communication, and Strategy, made the announcement on Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

In a statement, Alake stated that the federal government would in the upcoming weeks use savings from the elimination of subsidies to increase food production, along with other steps to lower the price of food on the market.

The declaration is as follows.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, once more, I welcome you to this press conference to inform the public about the administration led by President Bola Tinubu’s prompt response to the nation’s present food inflation.

Mr. President is aware of how the rising cost of food impacts the populace as a hands-on leader who monitors events daily around the nation. While accessibility is not an issue, affordability has been a significant concern for many Nigerians across the nation. This has caused a dramatic decline in demand, endangering the sustainability of the entire food and agriculture value chain.

As a result, in keeping with this administration’s stance on the need to protect the most vulnerable, Mr. President has declared the following actions to take place right away:

• That an immediate declaration of a state of emergency regarding food security be made, and

• That the National Security Council be given authority over all issues relating to the pricing and availability of food and water, which are necessities for survival.

Several actions will be implemented in the upcoming weeks as a direct and urgent response to this problem in order to stop this inflationary tendency and ensure future uninterrupted supplies of inexpensive goods for common Nigerians.

There are immediate, mid-term, and long-term interventions and remedies, as with the majority of emergencies.

We plan to use part of the money saved from the withdrawal of fuel subsidies to restructure the agriculture industry in the short term.

We created a memorandum of collaboration between the government and the various stakeholder representatives during an earlier meeting with agriculture stakeholders (held today), which includes the choices made and suggestions for further action resulting from our discussions.

The following are the immediate intervention strategies:

1. We will distribute wheat and fertilizer to farmers and households right away to lessen the impact of the loss of subsidies.

2. To assure enough irrigation of farmlands and year-round food production, there must be an urgent coordination between the Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources.

Mr. President has made it obvious that we as a nation cannot be content with seasonal farming. Downtimes in farming are no longer something we can afford.

3. We will establish and support a National Commodity Board, which will monitor and evaluate food prices and keep track of a strategic food reserve that will be utilized to stabilize prices for essential grains and other food commodities.
The government will control price fluctuations in food through this board.
The National Commodity Exchange (NCX), Seed Companies, National Seed Council and Research institutes, NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, Food Processing/Agric Processing associations, private sector holders & Prime Anchors, small holder farmers, crop associations, and Fertilizer producers, blenders and suppliers associations, to name a few, are on board to support the intervention effort of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to achieve this.

4. In order for farmers to go back to their farms without worrying about assaults, we will use our security architecture to defend the farms and the farmers.

5. The Central Bank will keep funding the agriculture value chain as a key role in the economy.

6. Land banks are activated. A total of 500,000 hectares of land have already been mapped and will be utilized to enhance the amount of arable land available for cultivation, which will instantly affect food production.

– Land clearing and mechanization: The government will work with mechanization firms to clear additional forests and make land suitable for cultivation.

7. River basins: Currently, there are 11 river basins that will guarantee crop planting throughout the dry season with irrigation plans that will provide year-round farming production and prevent the seasonal surplus and shortage that we often face.

8. We will provide the industry with concessionary finance and support, particularly for labor, equipment, automation, seeds, chemicals, and fertilizer.
The concessionary funding would guarantee that food is constantly accessible and affordable, directly affecting Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI). The HCI figures, which are currently third-lowest in the world, are a key area of concentration for this administration in order to boost productivity.

9. Transportation and Storage: Due to permits, toll gates, and other related charges, the cost of moving agricultural products has been a significant barrier. The government will look into other modes of transportation, such as rail and water transport, in order to reduce freight costs, which will in turn have an impact on food prices, when the costs of transporting farm produce are significantly impacted. These costs will immediately be passed on to consumers.

In terms of storage, the current warehouses and tanks will be renovated in order to reduce waste and ensure effective food preservation.

10. We’ll raise food and agricultural export revenue. In addition to ensuring that the general public has access to enough inexpensive food, we will also endeavor to increase the agricultural sector’s export capacity.

11. Trade Facilitation: By working with Nigerian Customs, who have told us that the bottlenecks experienced in exporting and importing food goods as well as in intra-city transportation through tolling will be abolished, transportation, storage, and export will be improved.

These are a some of the quick fixes this administration will implement to address the situation.
These actions will primarily have a significant positive impact on employment and job creation.

In fact, as of 2021, approximately 35.21 percent of Nigeria’s workforce was employed in agriculture; the long-term goal is to double this figure to around 70 percent.

With an additional 5 to 10 million jobs created within the value chain, working with the current 500,000 hectares of arable land and the several hundred thousand additional farmlands to be developed in the medium term, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to create jobs for our teeming youth population will be accomplished.

In conclusion, this administration recognizes that access to food and water is essential for survival and is urging all Nigerians to work with us to make this strategic intervention a success. This administration is doing great effort to make sure that Nigerians do not experience hardship in meeting their basic necessities.

In order to continue assuring Nigerians that this administration will not give up until all strategic initiatives are implemented successfully and efficiently and until every home is favorably touched, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would like to use this medium. Our president is the father of the country and the president of all Nigerians. The mandate of “renewed hope” is still in effect, and none will be forgotten.