The federal government has announced the completion of the distribution of 20 trucks of rice to each of the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which was aimed to mitigate the impact of hunger on Nigerians.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Monday, after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
Idris revealed that the FEC had extensively discussed the ongoing food crisis in the country, and the council resolved to distribute 20 trucks of rice to each state and the FCT, targeting the most vulnerable members of society.
“Council deliberated extensively on food supply and the shortage of food in the country. Consequently, 20 trucks of rice have already been distributed to each state across the country, including the FCT,” Idris stated.
He stated that the initiative is the federal government’s first step to alleviating the hardship faced by Nigerians.
He added that the distribution focuses on ensuring that the food relief reaches those who need it most during this challenging times.
“The Federal Government decided on this as a first step to cushion the hardship faced by Nigerians, but the food relief would go to the most vulnerable members of the society,” he added.
Recall that Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, had last Wednesday, announced that prices of food commodities will crash by December 2024.
Kyari in a post on his official X handle formerly Twitter said the measures were a series of strategic policies aimed at addressing the high food prices currently affecting the nation.
Detailing further the six measures to be rolled out to achieve the president’s directive, Kyari said the government would grant a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities as well as suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes for the importation of certain food commodities through land and sea borders.
These commodities, he added, include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas, noting that imported food commodities will be subjected to a Recommended Retail Price (RRP
