President Bola Tinubu has directed a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to fast-track measures aimed at reducing food prices across Nigeria, as the country grapples with worsening food insecurity.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed the directive on Wednesday in Abuja during a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
He explained that the President’s order centres on guaranteeing the safe passage of farm produce across major transport routes, a move designed to cut logistics costs that have soared due to high fuel prices and insecurity.
“The President has given a matching order with a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural foods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi said.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has seen food prices climb sharply following the removal of fuel subsidy, rising transportation costs, and persistent attacks on highways disrupting the supply of goods.
According to Abdullahi, the plan is linked to Tinubu’s broader vision of food sovereignty by ensuring not just availability, but also affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
He added that the government would soon launch a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity and a revamped cooperative reform initiative to mobilise resources for rural farmers.
