Despite a declaration of a state of emergency on food insecurity by President Bola Tinubu, prices of foodstuffs have continued to soar beyond the reach of most Nigerians, investigation reveals. 

In July 2023, President Tinubu, through his spokesperson, Dele Alake, announced a declaration of a state of emergency to salvage the country from famine and boost food production.

According to the government, “In the immediate term, we intend to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the agricultural sector, focusing on revamping the agricultural sector.

“All matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, will be included within the purview of the National Security Council.” Also, in 2024, the government announced an import waiver for maize, husked brown beans, wheat, and cowpea. In spite of the pronouncement, the policy has not kicked off. Nigerians buy bags of maize and beans at a costly rate.

A source in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, who opted to remain anonymous, advised the government to pull the ministry out of the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

The TSA is a government financial policy that centralizes all government receipts and payments into a single bank account. It aims to improve financial transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public financial management.

“We are having this food crisis because the Federal Government has not removed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security from the Treasury Single Account. How then do you want us to operate freely? It is not possible. The consequence is that hunger will continue to hit Nigerians very hard.

“Let me tell you in confidence that since this year, we have not had a single kobo to carry out any interventions. We have been relying on foreign donors to assist us,” the source said.

But the President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, countered the idea of exempting the Ministry from the TSA.

According to him, farmers are not taking money from the government to cultivate crops that would warrant an exemption from the TSA.

He suggested that the government should prioritize the naira over the dollar in order to give the currency value.

Ibrahim said: “It is a work in progress. There may come a time when there will be food that is more abundant and more affordable.

“I think the issue we are talking about is affordability, not availability. We need to do a lot to prop up the value of the purchasing power of the naira. “Nobody goes to the market and says they cannot find food because it is not easily affordable.

“I think that is the major thing that we need to work on, affordability. So how do we work on it? By working and supporting farmers to produce optimally. By subsidizing directly, subsidising the farmers.

“Not pretending to subsidise them through surrogates. That’s what we must do. The best solution to the problem is being able to do it here internally.

“We must produce optimally internally. Some people are suggesting that the Ministry of Agriculture should be removed from the TSA to enable it to function effectively. That is bullshit.

“That is bullshit. That is somebody who doesn’t know what he is talking about. Is this thing giving farmers money to produce? We are not giving money.

“It is not like the FCT, where the man there said he is doing infrastructure, he is doing everything. So he is giving contracts. The farmers are not taking money from the government to produce optimally.

“We take incentives. And this is what we are asking for. So it doesn’t mean that they will be removed from the TSA. “To do what? Even when the government says there is a budget of N500 billion, for instance, for agriculture—is the money going to be given to farmers? Farming is a vocation that we have chosen to do. And it is just like those people who have shops in Wuse Market.

“Or whatever they have in their markets. Is anybody there putting the things in their shops? Is anybody putting it? So it is the same thing.

“We are not expecting anybody to put anything on our farm. We are expecting to be able to buy those things that we need at reasonable prices. Yes.

“And within short distances from our place of work. That’s all we need. And we need security to be able to go to our farms.

“And the Ministry of Agriculture is not in charge of security. Thank you, sir. Getting them out of the TSA, I have not even dreamt of it.” (The Sun)