Fri 14 July 2023:
Nigeria has declared a state of emergency due to food shortages and rising costs, with the government adopting a number of measures to tackle the issue.
According to a UN report published in January, 25 million Nigerians face a high risk of food insecurity this year, which means they won’t be able to afford sufficient amounts of nutritious food each day.
On Thursday, it was announced that fertilizers and grains will “immediately” be released to farmers, and 500,000 hectares of farmland and river basins will be activated for year-round farming.
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The move will also expand the central bank’s role in financing the agricultural value chain.
“We declared a state of emergency and unveiled a comprehensive intervention plan on food security, affordability, and sustainability, taking decisive action to tackle food inflation,” President Bola Tinubu said on Twitter.
Tinubu emphasized that the goal of the intervention was to promote agriculture and increase job creation, pledging that “no one will be left behind” in his government’s efforts to ensure “affordable, plentiful food.”
Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa, has long been concerned about food insecurity and has also been fighting widespread insecurity for a number of years.
A Nigerian security tracking website claims that in the 12 months leading up to June 2022 alone, more than 350 farmers were abducted or killed.
The north of the country has seen a large number of similar attacks.
To combat the soaring cost of food and the resulting shortages, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency.
Some of the measures involve giving farmers fertiliser and grain using the savings from the recent removal of a gasoline subsidy.
Farmers, many of whom have given up on their farms after becoming the target of kidnapping gangs demanding ransom, will also receive more protection.
Poorer households are to be helped too with $10 (£8) a month for six months.
“I assure all Nigerians that no-one will be left behind in these strategic interventions,” said Tinubu, who took office in May.
In a statement on Thursday, government spokesperson Dele Alake said “savings from the fuel subsidy removal” would be directed at revamping the agricultural sector.
A National Commodity Board will be established and charged with reviewing food prices and maintaining a “strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilization mechanism for critical grains and other food items,” Alake said.
The removal of the gasoline subsidy, which had been in existence for decades and kept the price of petroleum products low, was Tinubu’s first significant policy change after becoming government.
In some areas of the country, the removal of it has resulted in rises of up to 200%, but the new president has defended the action, stating that it is essential to use that money more wisely.
Since many Nigerians rely on generators to provide them with energy, the increase in fuel prices has a negative impact on the country’s economy.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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