President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to urgently implement measures aimed at reducing food prices nationwide.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
Abdullahi said the President’s directive focuses on ensuring the safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to lower logistics costs.
“The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” he stated.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced worsening food insecurity since the removal of fuel subsidy, compounded by high transport costs and insecurity on major highways that disrupt the movement of goods. Despite interventions, food prices remain largely unaffordable for millions of households.
The minister explained that the new initiative aligns with Tinubu’s broader vision of achieving food sovereignty, which extends beyond availability to affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
As part of the strategy, Abdullahi revealed that government will soon launch a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity, alongside a revamped cooperative reform initiative to mobilise resources and empower rural farmers.
“Mr. President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for resource mobilisation, for economic activity generation, and to improve the livelihood of members,” he said.
The event, themed “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities”, also featured Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; former presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS Director-General, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
Tinubu had earlier, in his Democracy Day address in June, reaffirmed his commitment to food sovereignty, stressing that Nigeria must “produce and grow most of our food” as part of his administration’s Nigeria First policy to drive market-led growth.
