Federal Government Gives Governors Ultimatum to Present Food Production Plans
The Federal Government on Thursday directed all state governors to submit concrete feedback on their plans to enhance food production within seven days.
This directive was issued during the 142nd National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja, attended by state governors and some deputies.
At the meeting, President Tinubu also announced the launch of a National Construction and Household Support Programme. This initiative will provide a N50,000 grant to 100,000 families in each state for three months, amounting to N1.55 trillion.
Additionally, N155 billion will be allocated for assorted foods, and N540 billion for household grants. Each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will receive a N10 billion allocation for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses.
The President emphasized the urgency of boosting food production and urged the governors to collaborate to meet citizens’ needs. He expressed his readiness to provide the necessary support to alleviate hardships faced by Nigerians.
“We must deliver on our targets at all levels. Please report back following your consultations and submit it to my office within seven days. How much support do you need from me and in what form? I am prepared to provide it. But we must achieve the result,” Tinubu said.
“There is nothing we are doing that is more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it. And that is before we generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians.”
The President’s directive comes amid severe economic challenges, including high inflation driven by the removal of fuel subsidies and exchange rate depreciation, which reached 27% year-on-year in October 2023.
This price surge, combined with high food insecurity, has worsened the cost-of-living crisis, leaving many Nigerians struggling to afford basic necessities.
Despite significant policy reforms like fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, challenges such as poverty, stalled per-capita growth, and a weak business environment persist.
These issues are further compounded by external pressures, including global food price surges and geopolitical uncertainties.
During the NEC meeting, Tinubu outlined new plans to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, and provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.
This includes the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme, which will cover all geo-political zones in the country.
The programme prioritizes major infrastructure projects such as the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and the Trans-Saharan Highway.
It also includes full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway and the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway.
According to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, the programme is crucial for the agricultural sustainability of the nation.
“Within the Sokoto-Badagry Highway corridor, there are 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams spread across six states, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land,” the statement read.
Other components of the National Construction and Household Support Programme include a one-off allocation of N10 billion to states and the FCT for the procurement of buses and the CNG uplift programme.
Additionally, a N50,000 uplift grant will be provided to 100,000 families per state for three months, benefiting labor unions and civil society organizations.
