The 36 state governors have unveiled what they called “strategic and proactive” steps towards combating the food and economic crises in the country.
Through their umbrella body, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the chief executives said temporary and long-term measures in the form of massive and aggressive agriculture investments are being undertaken to urgently address the prevailing food insecurity.
A report by the forum’s acting Head of Media, Halimah Salihu Ahmed, drew attention to interventions by the governors to tackle high cost of living in their states.
It noted: “In Akwa Ibom State, the government is planning to establish an agency which will buy food items in bulk, and then sell them at cheaper prices to the residents.
“Towards this end, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has forwarded to the House of Assembly a bill for the establishment of the agency.”
Quoting the governor’s spokesman, Ekerete Udoh, the report said Eno appealed to residents to be patient, while promising to sign the bill into law when passed by the legislature.
Similarly, in Kano State, authorities have raided warehouses, where traders are suspected of hoarding supplies.
The document continued: “In Yobe State, the government banned bulk purchases of grain from local markets to stop hoarding and exports across Nigeria’s borders, saying it was to stem the tide of food scarcity and high cost of grains.
“In Niger State, Governor Mohammed Umar Bago announced a ban on mass purchase of foodstuffs from local markets. He ordered security forces to confiscate trucks carrying products in bulk and share them to the people.
“In Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah said his administration will eradicate hunger and poverty, and unlock the rural economy through investment in agriculture and agro-industrialisation.”
Also, the Ekiti State government said it has committed N1 billion to improve food production.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, last week, hosted the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Annika Hahn-Englund, on how to grow the state economy and address the current hardship.
The report said the meeting was to promote collaboration in critical areas of the economy, build long-term relationships and implement transformative projects to benefit Zamfara and its people.
It pointed out that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, who is also Chairman of the NGF, and his Taraba, Ondo and Kogi counterparts, Agbu Kefas, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Ahmed Ododo, interfaced with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for increased crop production.
Abdulrazaq submitted that the Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria did not achieve much.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari,was quoted as describing the four governors’ visit as a “huge endorsement for the progressive drive towards the much-needed collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and state governments.”
