There will be sufficient food for all Nigerians—  Chief Akinsiju 

By David Lawani, Abuja

Chairman of Independent Media and Polivy Initiative, (IMP) Niyi Akinsiju has explained that President Bola Tinubu is doing everything possible to ensure there is sufficient food security for all Nigerians stressing the need for cooperation by all citizens so as to enable him deliver on his mandate.

Chief Akinsiju made this appeal at a press briefing January 30th, 2024 in Abuja stating that following statistics from National Inflation rate especially the food inflation according to statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics which should be a cause for concern but noted that on assumption of office by the President he made it an issues that he is going to address food security in the nation.

He reiterated that as part of the evaluation of the nation’s economy under the present administration, IMP reviewed the national inflation rate especially the food inflation, the latest of which the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported to be at 33.93% as at December 2023.

According to him: ” This rate should naturally exert concerns, however, our findings have shown a commitment by the President to stemming the tide of rising food prices and ensuring food security by approving the accelerated cultivation of 500,000 hectares of land across the country in collaboration with state governments.

” This, in itself, is a commendable model of cooperation between the federal government and the sub-nationals. We are certain that in a short while, Nigerians will start receiving the products of the federal and sub-national governments working together.

” To crystallise the policy, the administration has introduced an irrigation programme to facilitate and guarantee all-year round farming. Our investigation within the general purview of agriculture implicates the deployment of several policies including waivers on the importation of tractors and farm implements, the recent launch of dry season farming in Jigawa State and the allocation of N102bn to the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADFUND) to mention just a few.It is our view that these measures will guarantee adequate food supply in the shortest possible time”,he said.

Speaking further, the former Coordinator of Buhari Media Organization noted that President Tinubu is addressing the security concern in the nation adding that the special interest with the approval of N50bn for the establishment of the Pulaaku Initiative, a non-kinetic approach to tackling insecurity which emphasizes the provision of social amenities like schools, hospitals, housing and sanitary facilities in the seven (7) pilot states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Benue, Katsina and Niger.

He said this is, in his view, a creative and pragmatic intervention that will most likely change the narratives around insecurity in the country.

” However, from our review of President Tinubu’s policies in the last eight months, we can objectively submit that the administration has performed creditably well despite the enormous institutional, economic headwinds and domestic challenges it has had to contend with.

” From the conceptualisation and deployment of policies across multifarious sectors by the federal government, we are convinced that President Tinubu is putting in place new building blocks to serve as the bedrock of a new model for national economic growth and socio-political development”, he noted.