The Federal Government is sending 60 trucks of fertilizer to each state to tackle the food crisis in Nigeria.
Additionally, each of the 109 senators will receive two trucks of fertilizer for their constituents, while the 360 members of the House of Representatives will get one truck each to distribute in their areas.
The Senate revealed this plan on Tuesday during a debate on the food crisis. They urged the Federal Government to quickly implement the fertilizer distribution.
Senator Sunday Karimi from Kogi West, supported by Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South, moved the motion titled “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables In Nigeria.”
Karimi pointed out that the prices of goods and household items have risen drastically in recent months, causing high inflation and worsening living conditions for many Nigerians.
He stated, “The latest data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that food inflation has 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 added, “The prices of food items such as beans, maize, rice, yam, tomatoes, and onions have increased by over 100 to 300 per cent without any clear reason.”
Karimi mentioned that factors like insecurity in food-producing regions, bad roads, higher transportation costs due to fuel subsidy removal, and the depreciating naira value have contributed to the price increase. However, he emphasized that the price hikes are significantly higher than these factors would suggest.
He lamented, “All efforts made by the Federal Government to control food inflation have not yielded the desired results.”
Karimi called for pragmatic solutions to address food insecurity, such as resolving herder-farmer conflicts, reducing kidnapping and terrorism, and developing a National Commodity Board to regulate grain prices and reduce artificial price inflation.
Senator Ndume expressed concern that Nigeria is now listed among countries facing severe food insecurity.
He said, “Currently, there are four countries, including Sudan, facing very serious insecurity. Nigeria is now added to this list by the International Rescue Committee as one of the spots for food insecurity action against hunger. The World Food Programme indicated that over 32 million people are expected to face a critical hunger crisis between now and August.”
He added, “This is the first time we are experiencing this level of hunger. It’s the first time Nigeria is being listed as one of the countries with food insecurity.”
Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan noted that Nigerians have been very patient but questioned how long this patience could last.
