President Bola Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to move swiftly and implement measures to further reduce food prices across the country.
Tinubu gave the order on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, said.
Abdullahi said that the directive focuses on ensuring the safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to cut logistics costs.
“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 at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has faced worsening food insecurity since the removal of fuel subsidy, high transport costs, and insecurity on major highways disrupted the movement of goods.
Despite government interventions, food remains largely unaffordable for millions.
The minister said the plan is tied to Tinubu’s broader vision of food sovereignty—beyond availability to ensure affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
To back this up, he revealed that the government is set to roll out a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to boost productivity and 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,” Abdullahi added.
The event, themed ‘Parliamentary reporting: Issues, challenges and responsibilities,’ also featured Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; ex-presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS DG, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
Tinubu had earlier said in June that Nigeria is on the path to achieving food sovereignty on the back of measures put in place by his administration.
Tinubu said this during his Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly.
“Our ‘Nigeria First’ policy will further enhance progress as we consolidate market-driven growth. The improved economic performance is encouraging and validates the soundness of our policy measures. Our medium-term growth target remains an economy growing at a seven per cent clip with a stronger manufacturing base. We must learn to produce and grow most of our food, and we are on the path to achieving food sovereignty,” he said.