To address food insecurity, the federal government has launched a massive nationwide rice distribution to the 36 states of the federation, involving 740 trucks.
Minister of Information Mohammed Idris disclosed this to State House correspondents after President Bola Tinubu presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday in Abuja.
Each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is set to receive 20 trucks of rice, with each truck carrying approximately 1,200 25kg bags.
This amounts to about 24,000 bags of rice per state, targeting the most vulnerable populations.
“The understanding is that about 20 trucks of rice had already been supplied to each of the states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory,” Idris stated.
He emphasised that this distribution is part of the government’s broader strategy to alleviate the hardship experienced by many Nigerians due to food shortages.
The minister urged state governors to ensure swift and equitable distribution of the rice to those most in need.
“It is expected that the state governors will go ahead and distribute this food item to the most vulnerable,” he said.
The minister stressed that the government is committed to ensuring food availability for most Nigerians and will continue to work on making food interventions accessible.
“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is ramping up all that needs to be done to ensure that food is put on the table of most Nigerians,” he stated.
In addition to the rice distribution, Idris highlighted ongoing efforts to boost agricultural productivity.
He revealed that the Central Bank of Nigeria has made over 2.1 million bags of assorted fertilisers available to the Ministry of Agriculture for onward distribution to the states.
This initiative is expected to support farmers and enhance crop yields nationwide.
Looking ahead, the minister announced that investments in the agricultural sector would be increased.
He also mentioned the imminent launch of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, a new initiative announced by President Bola Tinubu which is expected to further strengthen the country’s agricultural capabilities.
In addition to the food distribution initiative, the federal executive council directed the Presidential Committee on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to accelerate its activities.
This includes increasing the supply of CNG-compatible buses and making conversion kits more widely available to the public.
LEADERSHIP reports that the government aims to boost the adoption of CNG as an alternative fuel source, reducing the country’s dependence on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and supporting Nigeria’s transition to renewable energy.
The minister also stated that previously approved conversion centres would be significantly upgraded to increase capacity and accessibility for Nigerians seeking to convert their vehicles to CNG.
