Food security: Govs not supporting Tinubu’s farming initiatives — Group

Amidst skyrocketing prices of foodstuffs in states across the country, a group, Independent Media and Policy Initiatives, has blamed states across the country for ignoring President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request for allocation of  500,000 hectares of land to grow rice, cassava, maize, wheat, millet, and other staple crops across the country. 

Chairman of the group, Chief Niyi Akinsiju, made this disclosure at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

Akinsiju, who singled out Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna States, chided other states for turning deaf ears to the demand for land for cultivation of farm produce aimed at mitigating the high prices of foodstuffs.

He however commended the Federal Government for ensuring food security through massive investment in agriculture. 

He said:” While the economy is gaining much-needed momentum in the enunciated areas as recorded in the first quarter of the year, we, however, observe with mixed feelings, rocketing food prices which continue to manifest in high headline inflation rate recorded at 33.2 percent, very much driven by a 40.01 percent food inflation rate in March.

“Despite this disconcerting persistent increase in food prices, we must acknowledge the conscious efforts of President Bola Tinubu to rejig the economy and ensure food security through massive investment in agriculture. In this regard, we particularly commend the administration for funding the ongoing dry season cultivation of 120,000 hectares of farmland for the production of wheat. 

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“This aggressive push to boost food production is a confirmation of the President’s seriousness on his declaration of State of Emergency on Food Security on 13th July 2023. To this end, we also commend the Jigawa state government for allocating 80,000 hectares of land to the Presidential initiative on wheat, and also thank the government of Kano and Kaduna states for making available the remaining 40,000 hectares that will make the exercise a tremendous success.          

“However, we are not happy and wish to publicly register our displeasure over the lackadaisical attitude of some state governors to the Presidential commitment to cultivate 500,000 hectares of land, to grow rice, cassava, maize, wheat, millet, and other staple crops across the country. 

“Recall that in our last engagement with you, we posited that the cultivation of 500,000 hectares will among other things, boost food production and supply, force down the high prices of foodstuffs in the market, and ensure food security in the country. “Unfortunately, our investigation showed that many state governments are yet to make available their own portion of farmlands for the exercise. Therefore, we call on all the state governments that are yet to provide farmlands for the programme to do so, as quickly as possible, because time is of the essence as the country is in dire need of massive food production at this crucial moment.”

Akinsiju justified the removal of the fuel subsidy, stating that it was a bold initiative that has increased the volume of public funds available to the three tiers of government to share for the provision of social infrastructures.

“On the revenue side, the removal of fuel subsidy has become a financial elixir for the hitherto constricted revenue earning capabilities of the national economy. Nigerians are now witnesses to the monthly spectacle of Federation Accounts Allocation Committee’s (FAAC) sharing and savings of never-before-earned revenue among the three tiers of government which has averaged N250bn monthly, thereby enhancing the Federal, States and Local Government Areas capacity to pay workers’ salaries and provide critical infrastructure.”