Governors of the thirty- six states, under the aegis of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, have said they were on top of the situation to address issues of food crisis, economic hardship and hunger in the country, introducing different strategies and measures.
The governors said they had taken several proactive steps to counter the present food crisis as well as the inherent economic hardships.
In a report signed by the Acting Head of Media, NGF, Halimah Salihu Ahmed, in Abuja yesterday, NGF said governors were committed to ending the pain and suffering of citizens in the land.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had met with the state governors at the Council Chambers of Aso Rock Villa, Abuja in February, where issues of hike in food prices, economic hardship and others were discussed, with a view to proferring solutions.
According to the report of the NGF, Kwara State governor and chairman of the NGF, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in collaboration with Governors Agbu Kefas of Taraba State; Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State; and Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State, pushed for increased crop production through the federal ministry of agriculture to address food shortages.
The report read: “In Akwa Ibom State, the government is planning to establish an agency which will buy food items in bulk and then sell them at cheaper prices to the residents.
“Towards this end, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno, has forwarded to the House of Assembly a bill for the establishment of the agency.”
Quoting the spokesman of Akwa Ibom State governor, Ekerete Udoh, the report said Governor Eno appealed to residents to be patient, while promising to sign the bill into law when passed by the assembly.
It read further, “We will buy the food items in bulk and ensure that they are made available to our people at relatively lower prices. The process will be transparent. I want to thank the House of Assembly for the expeditious manner this bill is being treated.
‘’I want to assure our people that we feel their pain and are working hard to ensure that food security for our people is guaranteed.
“In the same vein, in Kano State, authorities raided warehouses where traders are suspected of hoarding food supplies.
“In Yobe State, the government banned bulk purchases of grain from local markets to stop hoarding and exports across Nigeria’s borders saying it was to ‘stem the tide of food scarcity and high cost of grains’.
