Senate urges FG to tackle impending food crisis

Iyojo Ameh

The Senate has urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency initiate measures to tackle the impending food insecurity in the country.

It also urged government to outline the measures put in place to combat the situation and address Nigerians on the situation.

Senate resolution followed adoption of a motion on
urgent need to address food insecurity and market exploitation of consumables In Nigeria at plenary on Tuesday.

The motion was sonsored by Sen. Sunday Karimi (APC- Kogi) and Sen. Ndume, Ali (APC-Borno)

Karimi said in the last few months, the price of goods and household consumables in Nigeria has been on an abysmal rise.

This, he said was leading to a high rate of inflation, weakening purchasing power and affecting living conditions of vast majority of Nigerians.

He said latest data by National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) showed that food inflation in the country skyrocketed to 40.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis, representing a significant increase from the 24.82 per cent recorded in May 2023.

Karimi said current market price of food items such as beans, maize, rice paddy, yam, tomatoes, and onions which initially rose by about 40 per cent after removal of petroleum subsidy has now increased to over 100 per cent to 300 per cent with no attributable reason for the increase in prices.

He said insecurity in food-producing regions, bad roads, increase in cost of transportation, depreciation of the value of Naira had been seen as possible factors contributing to increase in price of food items and other consumables.

He, however ,said that greater percentage of the increase in prices of food items and consumables was not only due to the factors, but to the zest of merchants, traders, and retailers to make supernormal profits.

“Note that there is a general attitude of get rich quickly or get rich by all means.

“This is leading many Nigerians to jettison being their brother’s keeper” and exploiting one another to make abnormal profits.

“This attitude has been justified on the basis that many members of the political class, technocrats, and corporate elites have helped themselves with public funds without any repercussions in Law.

” Nigerian ,traders have thus resorted to price overcharging to maximise profits.”

He said there were reports that the farming communities in the border regions with other countries, prefer to sell their food items abroad to the neighboring countries thereby increasing local food insecurity.

He expressed worry that efforts made by the government to arrest consistent increase in food inflation was yet to yield the desired results.

Karimi said there was need to be more pragmatic about addressing food insecurity, curb herder farmer crises, kidnapping for ransom, and terrorism.

This, he said would ensure development of a viable national commodity board to regulate price of grains.

He said efforts should be made to ensure elimination of artificial contributions to food and commodity inflation in Nigeria.

Sen.Ali Ndume(APC–Borno),who seconded the motion said reports had indicated that Nigeria may face food insecurity , adding that people were hungry and many farmers no longer have access to their farms because of insecurity.

He said the lawmakers need to take urgent steps as representatives of the people as prices of food was on the high side.

Sen.Ahmed lawan(APC-Yobe) said Nigerians were struggling to have food at least once a day.

According to him, the Silos were empty, saying that Federal Government would have to make frantic efforts to import food.

He said the national assembly must engage the executive to take immediate steps to avert the looming food insecurity.

Sen.Ahmed Wadada (SDP-Nasarawa) commended the federal government for the recent decision to exempt duties,tax on food items to be imported the country.

He said the issue of prices of food was a serious matter, adding that Nigerians were patient people.

He urged lawmakers to do whatever was required at their various levels to add value to food production in the country.

President of Senate, Godswill Akpabio said the food issues increased when farmers were denied access to their farm lands due to activities of bandits.

He said people abandoned agricultural production, saying that the issue had been on since nine years.

According to him, the government must worked toward encourage farming especially this period.

Akpabio said he was informed by Committee Chairman on Agriculture that Federal Government had provided 60 trucks of fertilizer to each states,
while Senators and House of Representatives members would receive two and one trucks for onward distribution to their constituencies.

This, he said was to ensure farming for improved production of food by Nigerians involved in agriculture

He said efforts must be made to improve farming activities, while also commending the federal government for looking in the direction of tax, duty exemption for imported food items into Nigeria.