From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to consider subsidizing agriculture so as to revitalize the economy and improve food security in the country, as a matter of urgency.
The House also mandated its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Privatization and Commercialization, Public Assets, to investigate the privatization/concession of 22 out of 33 Government Silos for grain storage.
The joint committee is also expected to probe the privatization/concession and report back back to the House within for weeks for
further legislative actions.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Inuwa Garba on “need to Investigate the Privatization / Concession of Federal Government Silos in Nigeria.”
Garba,in his motion , informed the House in September, 2017, the Federal Government commenced a process to concession 22 out of it 33 silo complexes, across the country.However, the lawmaker stated that there is need to scrutinize the circumstances surrounding the concession of the silos.
He stated that this is imperative owing to “the vital role these silos play in ensuring food security across the country.”
Consequently, Garba said there is
” need to investigate the entire process of privatization or concession, including the criteria used for the selection of private entities, transparency in the bidding process to ensure accountability in public administration, and upholding the principles of fairness and equity.”