President Tinubu met with the state governors of Nigeria at the State House in Abuja on Thursday. The main topic of discussion was the increasing insecurity and hardship in the country. Following the meeting, Tinubu decided to promote local food production instead of encouraging food importation. During his meeting with the 36 state governors, Tinubu announced that he would not allow food importation or create a price control board. Notable attendees at the meeting included Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the National Security Adviser (NSA), and the director general of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja. On Tuesday, the government hinted at plans to establish a National Commodity Board to address the rising food inflation in the country. However, Tinubu tweeted on Thursday that his administration is committed to finding home-grown solutions to food security challenges. He reiterated this commitment to all 36 state governors, the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the DSS, and some ministers. Uloma Onyemachi, a writing fellow of African Liberty, suggested palliative distribution as a valuable strategy for mitigating food insecurity in Nigeria. According to Onyemachi, other institutional entities, such as non-governmental organizations and research centers, also have a role to play in securing food self-sufficiency.
Dear Nigerians,
My administration is dedicated to evolving home-grown solutions to tackle our nation's food security challenges head-on including setting up schemes to bolster local food production and cut out all forms of rent-seeking tied to food importation.
I reiterated… pic.twitter.com/6IMhdHhbXR
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) February 15, 2024