Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Nigerian Senate, has addressed the pressing issue of food insecurity and market exploitation.
According to Premium Times, addressing a motion that was initiated by Senator Sunday Karimi, Akpabio underscored the critical necessity for government intervention to combat the escalating cost of food commodities throughout the country.
In his remarks, Senator Akpabio clarified that the current administration, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should not be blamed for the recent spikes in food prices.
He pointed out that the food crisis stems from a decade-long struggle with security challenges that have prevented farmers from cultivating their lands.
He said that these challenges include widespread issues such as killings, kidnappings, banditry, and the persistent conflict between farmers and herders.
He stated that these security concerns have significantly disrupted agricultural productivity, leading to the current food shortages.
Akpabio highlighted the severe impact of these security issues on farming activities, noting that the inability of farmers to safely work their lands has been a major contributor to the rising cost of food.
He emphasised that resolving these security issues is essential to restoring agricultural productivity and stabilising food prices.
The Senate President further stressed the urgency of the food crisis, describing it as an emergency that requires immediate and decisive action.
He called for comprehensive government measures to not only provide immediate food relief to the population but also to support and rejuvenate agricultural activities across the country.
Akpabio outlined the goal of achieving surplus food production by the end of the year, with the aim of having ample food supplies available in the market by October or December.
This, he argued, is essential to ensuring that Nigerians can adequately feed themselves.
Akpabio said, “I am saying that this is an emergency; the food situation is an emergency; we must help our people, and part of that 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 or December, we have excess food in the market because Nigerians must feed.
“Everybody is concerned. Like I said, it wasn’t caused by the current administration. It is the combination of at least 10 years of insecurity that stopped the farmers from going into their farms as a result of killings, kidnappings, and other forms of banditry, including the farmers-herders crisis.”..……..See More
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