Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu has emphasised that he would not set a board to control the prices of food items in the market, saying his administration would rather go after those sabotaging the nation’s economy through hoarding.
Mr Tinubu said this when he held a meeting with the 36 state governors and security operatives, whom he directed to inspect the warehouses discovered in Kano and other areas with “large-scale hoarding of food.”
He declared that Nigeria would not “allow speculators, hoarders, and rent seekers to undermine our efforts in ensuring that food is widely available to all Nigerians,” noting that this is why he has ruled out the possibility of importing food into the country.
“I will not establish a price control board or approve the importation of food.
“We must extricate ourselves from this predicament because importation only enables rent seekers to perpetrate fraud and mismanagement at our collective expense,” Mr Tinubu declared.
The President noted that to improve the supply of food to the markets, his government would “support our farmers with schemes that encourage them to cultivate more food for the nation.”
“We must also rapidly but thoughtfully implement our livestock development and management plans, including dairy farming and others,” he added.
Business Post reports that the country is suffering from a shortage in food supply because of insecurity in the northern part of Nigeria, where most of the crops are planted.
But Mr Tinubu assured that his administration would do everything to improve security across the country, saying, “I have approved the creation of a committee that includes state governors and federal government representatives to explore, among other things, the possibility of establishing state police.”
“I have also endorsed the training and equipping of forest rangers by sub-national governments to protect human and natural resources in our communities.
“My stance is unequivocal: we must move aggressively to examine the issues raised, including the potential for establishing state police,” he stated.
However, he tasked the “governors to always prioritise the welfare and prosperity of our people in their development programs, and I assure them that the federal government will continue to work diligently to improve the nation’s revenue profile.
“As leaders, we must all work together to address issues of insecurity, food security, and out-of-school children.”
