Senate urges FG to address impending food crisis

The Senate on Tuesday called on the federal government to address the impending food insecurity challenges in the country.

The call was a sequel to a motion by Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) during the plenary.

Mr Karimi, while presenting his motion, said the prices of basic foodstuffs such as rice, beans, tomatoes, onions and others have increased by over a hundred per cent.

He listed insecurity, bad roads, removal of fuel subsidy and devaluation of the naira as some of the factors that led to the inflation of food prices.

The senator also lamented excessive charges by sellers of foodstuffs and called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to sensitise the marketers on possible consequences.

Mr Karimi also raised the alarm that farming communities in the border areas are exporting their produce to neighbouring countries instead of selling to Nigerians.

He, therefore, prayed the upper chamber to urge the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, address the impending food crisis in the country.

Contributions

The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, seconded the motion.

Mr Ndume (APC, Borno South) raised concern that food insecurity is approaching and urged the government to devise all possible means to address it.

He specifically said some states in the northern part of the country have started feeling the consequences of food insecurity.

Ahmed Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West) said Nigerians have been patient enough about hunger.

Mr Wadada also commended the federal government for the exemption of tariff on food items policy.

Former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, said he travelled across some states in the North last week and discovered that many people are hungry.

Mr Lawan urged the federal government to come up with a proper measure to address food insecurity.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the exemption of tariffs on food items is one of the ways to fight food insecurity.

Mr Akpabio said the federal government will assist farmers to return to farms to make food available for the people.

“I am saying that this is an emergency, the food situation is an emergency, we must help our people and part of it is to make sure that we are not just providing food for them but to be able to plant to make sure that latest October/December, we have excess food in the market because Nigerians must feed.

“Everybody is concerned. The primary role of the government is to ensure the welfare and security of the citizens and that is why we are here,” he added.

The senate president also hinted at the possible invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, on the issue.

“We may have to summon the minister of agriculture, the Governor of the Central Bank and all those involved to come to us because we want to make sure that we nip the issue in the bud.

“Like I said, it wasn’t caused by the current administration. It is the combination of at least 10 years of insecurity that stopped the farmers from going into their farms as a result of killings, kidnappings and other forms of banditry including the farmers-herders crisis. But here we are now, we must take emergency steps.

“The government is doing its best by ensuring that any food item that enter the country is zero levy in order to make sure that people have food and of course, the distribution of this fertiliser across is to enhance production at least within this period,” Mr Akpabio said.

The Senate also said there are plans by the federal government to dispatch 60 trucks of fertiliser to each state through their governors. He added that members of the National Assembly will get some trucks of fertiliser for their constituents.

After the comment, the senate president put the motion to vote and the majority of lawmakers supported it through voice votes.

Mr Akpabio, thereafter, directed the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, to channel the resolutions to the appropriate offices for immediate action.