This call was sequel to the resolution of the Upper Legislative Arm on Tuesday following a motion to address food insecurity in Nigeria.
The motion titled, “Urgent Need to Address Food Insecurity and Market Exploitation of Consumables In Nigeria”, was sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi.
In his submission, Senator Karimi, noted that the price of goods and household consumables have been on an abysmal rise in the country, leading to a high rate of inflation in the last few months.
He lamented that the latest data by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that food inflation in the country skyrocketed to 40.66 percent on a year-on-year basis – a significant increase from the 24.82 percent recorded in May 2023.
“Aware the current market price of food items such as beans, maize, rice paddy, yam, tomatoes, and onions which initially rose by about 40% after the removal of petroleum Subsidy has now increased to over 100% to 300% without any attributable reason for the increase in prices”.
Senator, representing Kogi West Senatorial District expressed concerned that the greater percentage of the increase in prices of food items and consumables in the country is not only due to increase in petroleum products or depression of naira, but to the zest of the merchants, traders, and retailers to make supernormal profits thereby heaping all the blame on the Federal Government.
He said all the efforts made by the current Federal Executive to arrest the consistent increase in food inflation have not yielded the desired results, saying there is need to be more pragmatic about addressing food insecurity.
On his part, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, who seconded the motion, expressed worries that food insecurity is imminent, while urging the government to devise all possible means to tackle it.
The motion received majority support as the lawmakers raised concern about the consequences of food insecurity.
While commending the FG for the exemption of tariff on food items, they lamented that Nigerians are hungry and appropriate measures must be taken to address the menace of food insecurity.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said the food situation in the country has become an emergency.
“We must help our people and part of it is to make sure that we are not just providing food for them but to be able to plant to make sure that by October/December, we have excess food in the market because Nigerians must feed”.
The Senate therefore resolved among others to call on the Tinubu-led government to nip in the bud food insufficiency.
