* Decide against food imports, hoarding
With food prices rising uncontrollably amid inflation and widespread insecurity across the country, the Federal Government and State Governors on Wednesday finallly succumbed to public pressure and agreed to have each State Government set up its own police force.
The decision was taken during a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and State Governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Tinubu convened the meeting to find solutions to the security challenges and soaring prices of food which have left many Nigerians complaining bitterly and some holding street protests to press home their frustrations.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who spoke to State House correspondents after the meeting, acknowledged that the decision to establish State Police was a significant shift in government policy, but that the modalities will still be fine-tuned as more discussions on the matter are to be held among relevant stakeholders.
His words: “The Federal Government and the state governments are mulling the possibility of setting up state police.
”Of course, this is still going to be further discussed. A lot of work has to be done in that direction. Both the federal government and the state governments agree to the necessity of having state police.
“Now, this is a significant shift, but like I said, more work needs to be done in that direction. A lot of meetings will have to happen between the federal government and the subnationals to see the modalities of achieving this.”
He disclosed however, that before then, several other measures were decided on during the meeting to check the increasing prices of food and security challenges affecting food production and the populace in general.
The meeting directed the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Police to immediately check the activities of those hoarding food items with intention to smuggle them out or make extra profits from the resulting scarcity.
“At this point, the nation requires foods to be brought out to the people so that we can control prices and put food on the table of most Nigerians, other commodity traders are busy hoarding these commodities so that Nigerians will suffer or they will make more money as a result.
“So, the governors and Mr. President have taken this decision that security agencies will collaborate with the state governors to ensure that this ends”, Minister Idris said.
The parley, which resolved to continue such consultations and meetings regularly in the interest of the nation, further decided to have State Governments increase the number and activities of forest rangers to improve security for farmers; deepen investments in food production and do more to get the youth more gainfully employed.
“The governors have also agreed to join hands with Mr. President to deepen their own investment in the agricultural sector so that more food will be made available to Nigerians. Of course, this investment is not just in crop production, it is also in livestock development and management”, Idris explained.
The President and the Governors also agreed that even with the prevailing challenges, there is no need for food imports at this point, because in their view, Nigeria has the potential to feed itself and even be a net exporter of food.
According to the Minister, the meeting decided that there was no need to reverse some extant government policies meant for long-term solutions to some of the current challenges.
He said that “a decision has also been taken that in the interest of our country, there will be no need for food importation at this point. Nigeria has the potential to feed itself and even be a net exporter of food items to other countries. And we do not also want to reverse some of the progress we have seen in terms of food production in this country.
“What we’re seeing now is just a temporary difficulty that will soon go away. Therefore, the solution to it is by continuous investment in agriculture so that food can be made available to all Nigerians.”
He noted that measures being taken now are equally cognizant of the improvement of security situation in some States, as he gave examples of Borno and Jigawa where farmers have begun to return to their farmers.
