President Bola Tinubu issued a directive on Thursday instructing the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, to work together with governors to address the issue of food hoarding.
This directive came after a meeting between the President and state governors in Abuja to discuss the ongoing food crisis in the country.
Last week, protests erupted in Niger State due to the skyrocketing prices of food items, which many attribute to hoarding by some traders. In response, the Kano State government seized 10 warehouses allegedly hoarding food items.
To tackle this challenge, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed that President Tinubu instructed these security chiefs to coordinate with state governors.
“The National Security Adviser, Inspector General of Police, and Director General of the State Services have been tasked to work closely with the state governors to address the issue of food hoarding,” Idris stated after the meeting between President Tinubu and state governors.
Idris emphasized that at a time when the nation needs food to be readily available to control prices and ensure food security, some traders are hoarding commodities for personal gain, causing hardship for Nigerians. The decision was made for security agencies to collaborate with state governors to put an end to this practice.
Regarding the government’s plan to import food to alleviate the rising costs, Idris stated that it won’t be necessary as Nigeria has the capacity to feed itself.
“We’ve decided that there will be no need for food importation at this time. Nigeria can feed itself and even export food items to other countries,” Idris remarked.
“We also don’t want to reverse the progress we’ve made in terms of food production in the country. The current challenges we’re facing are temporary and will soon be resolved,” he concluded.