President Bola Tinubu has directed a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to move swiftly in implementing measures aimed at reducing food prices across Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja during a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents.
According to Abdullahi, the President’s directive focuses on ensuring the safe passage of farm produce across transport routes to reduce 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.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has been grappling with rising food insecurity, worsened by the removal of fuel subsidy, high transportation costs, and insecurity along highways disrupting the movement of goods. Despite several interventions, food remains unaffordable for millions of households.
Abdullahi explained that the initiative is part of Tinubu’s broader vision of achieving food sovereignty—not just ensuring availability, but also affordability, accessibility, and nutrition on a sustainable basis.
To reinforce this agenda, he revealed that the government will soon launch a Farmer Soil Health Scheme to enhance productivity and a cooperative reform programme designed 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,” the minister added.
The workshop, themed “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities,” also featured contributions from Senate Media Committee Chairman, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; former presidential aide, Senator Ita Solomon Enang; and NILDS Director-General, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman.
President Tinubu had earlier reiterated in his June Democracy Day speech that Nigeria is on track to achieve food sovereignty through policies promoting self-sufficiency and market-driven growth. He emphasized the government’s medium-term growth target of a 7% economic expansion, underpinned by stronger manufacturing and agricultural productivity.
