President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Nigerians of improved food availability, security and affordability in the new year.
The assurance is part of his promises in his new year address to Nigerians yesterday.
Tinubu, in his address, said, “to ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops. We launched dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme.”
The assurance is sequel to the president’s declaration of state of emergency on food security mid last year in a bid to curb galloping cost of food stuff and harsh economic conditions.
He had stated that, “all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council. FG will activate land banks nationwide, which currently stand at 500,000 hectares mapped to increase the availability of arable land for farming which will immediately impact food output.
“There will be an organic synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the use of water resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is available all year round.”
The step had necessitated an immediate release of fertilisers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.
Tinubu said his government “put in place a Policy Coordination, Evaluation, Monitoring and Delivery Unit in the Presidency to ensure that governance output improves the living conditions of our people.
“For the new year to yield all its good benefits to us as individuals and collectively as a people we must be prepared to play our part. We are now poised to accelerate the pace of our service delivery across sectors.”