Yobe Traditional Ruler Cries Out Over Food Price Hike

A prominent traditional ruler in Yobe State, Alhaji Shehu Hashimi II Ibn Umar Al-Amin Elkenemi, has expressed his concern over the rising cost of food items in the state.

The Emir of Damaturu, in an address during the weekend, urged traders in the state to assist the general populace by lowering the prices of necessary items.

He voiced his worries about the disturbing daily increase in prices of essential goods in the region, saying: “I want to inform you that we are worried about the rising prices of commodities in the state.”

“I implore the traders to make essential goods more affordable for the general public, especially the less privileged,” Daily Post quoted the monarch.

The monarch recognized the financial struggles experienced by the underprivileged, especially their difficulty in purchasing essential food supplies in Yobe and across Nigeria.

He recommended that merchants offer their goods at reasonable prices and find ways to make their products more accessible to the general public.

He also encouraged different societal groups to increase their support for individuals with disabilities and those who are less fortunate in order to help them through this challenging time.

Tinubu Gives Governors Seven Days Deadline, Issues Directive On Food Security

Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme to cover all geo-political zones in the country.

According to a statement last Thursday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President took the decision to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, as well as provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.

“Under the programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, is prioritized.

“Other road infrastructure projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is underway, and the Trans-Saharan Highway, which links Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja, are also prioritized,” Ajuri Ngelale stated.

He noted that the President has also approved full counterpart financing for Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway; to traverse Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno, as well as for the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway; which will traverse Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.

The Sokoto-Badagry road project is specially prioritized for its importance as some of the states it will traverse are strategic to the agricultural sustainability of the nation, according to the President’s spokesperson.

Within the Sokoto-Badagry Highway corridor, there are 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams spread across six states, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs), 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.