Address the problem of hunger, Senate fells Tinubu

Says Nigerians are facing hardship

THE Senate has asked the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, address the problem of hunger in the land, saying Nigerians were losing their patience.

The Red chamber which described the food insecurity in the country as an emergency, said President Bola Tinubu should take measures to fight the situation.

The Senate noted that over the past few months, prices of goods and household consumables had seen a significant rise in the country, leading to high inflation rates, weakened purchasing power, and a general deterioration in the living conditions of the vast majority of Nigerians.

It equally disclosed that as an emergency solution to address the problem of food scarcity, the federal government has deployed 60 trucks of fertilizers to each of the 36 states of the federation, with, two per senator and one truck for each member of the House of Representatives.

Resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi, APC, Kogi West, and co-sponsored by the Senate Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South.

According to Senator Karimi , " the latest data by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that food inflation in the country skyrocketed to 40.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis, a significant increase from the 24.82 per cent recorded in May 2023."

He said, among others:   ''The Senate is aware the current market price of food items such as beans, maize, rice paddy, yam, tomatoes, and onions, which initially rose by about 40% after the removal of petroleum subsidy, has now increased to over  between 100% and 300% without any attributable reason for the increase in prices."

In his contribution, Ndume, who lamented that this was the first time Nigeria was listed as one of the countries battling food insecurity, said:  “In their many publications, they say Nigeria is likely to experience the highest session of food insecurity globally.

“Currently, there are four countries, including Sudan and some others, that are facing very serious insecurity. Nigeria is added to this list this year by the international rescue committee as one of the spots for food insecurity action against hunger."

Immediate past president of the Senate,  Senator Ahmad Lawan,  APC, Yobe North, told his colleagues that the people were really hungry in the country, warning that  patience, tolerance were both elastic, but not eternally.

Lawan said:  "Let me say here that patience, tolerance are both elastic but they are not eternally elastic. Our students are facing real, real anger. I travelled two states last week in the north particularly, and I've seen first hand how people, especially those who are not in the civil service, nor in any business, are suffering, fighting, struggling to have food at least once a day.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator GodsWill Akpabio, said food insecurity was the result of  the insecurity that had ravaged the country.

NSE partners agric ministry on food security

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, has concluded plans to partner the federal ministry of agriculture and food security on initiative to reduce hunger in the land as well as ensure security of food in the country.

The partnership was reached during a courtesy visit by NSE President, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, FNSE, and her team to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, in Abuja.

Oguntala emphasized the importance of food security for growth, poverty reduction, and overall human well-being. 

Highlighting the need for pragmatic and proactive measures, Oguntala called for a joint effort between the NSE and the ministry to address the food challenge facing Nigerians. 

She reaffirmed NSE’s commitment to supporting food security initiatives and acknowledged the ministry's leading role in this area.

Presenting a proposal for agriculture entrepreneurial development programme, Oguntala said the purpose was to boost agricultural activities through the establishment of demonstration farms and engineering villages across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.

In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, expressed enthusiasm about the partnering with the NSE, describing it as a blue-chip society with substantial knowledge of resources. 

He stressed the importance of leveraging the NSE's capabilities to achieve government's food security goals, and reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to collaborating with the NSE to develop sustainable solutions to the food crisis in the country.

Culled from Vanguard