President Bola Tinubu declares state of emergency on food security, plans 500,000 hectares farmland
president bola tinubu on thursday declared a state of emergency on food security as the federal government stepped up efforts to tackle food inflation following the removal of fuel subsidy. President tinubu also approved that all matters pertaining to food and water availability as well as affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the national security council. This is to be followed by an immediate release of fertilisers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
Special adviser to the president on special duties, communications and strategy, dele alake, disclosed this to state house correspondents, after consultations with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector value chain at the presidential villa, abuja. Alake was accompanied to the briefing by the special adviser to the president on revenue, zacheausadedeji; special adviser on industry, trade and investment, john uwajumogu; acting comptroller general of nigeria customs service, wale adeniyi; a member of the presidential advisory council, drdorrisanite, among others.
Clarifying the short, medium and long-term interventions, alake said the administration intends to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector, focusing on revamping the agricultural sector. He cited existing data that agriculture already accounts for about 35.21 per cent of employment in nigeria (as at 2021). Parts of the interventions include the immediate release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
