By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The federal government has rolled out free food intervention plan nationwide to address challenges faced be Nigerians.
To this end, 42,000 metric tonnes of grains will be distributed freely to Nigerians.
The Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari outlined the plan of the government yesterday while responding to questions during a Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS), organized by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The minister said, he had discussed with the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on how to reach the targeted Nigerians.
“We’ve met with NEMA and DSS to give us the index. These are where to gather intelligence reports on where it is needed the most. And we are going to look at those indices.”
Speaking further, Kyari said they are engaging Rice Millers Association of Nigeria to release about 60,000MT of rice to the markets.
“We are engaging the Rice Millers Association of Nigeria
to make available 60,000 metric tons of rice available. We hope that this partnership will help in addressing the current challenges that Nigerians are passing through”.
On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said, “the Ministerial Press Briefing Series (MPBS) which we are kickstarting today, are in line with our ‘Restore Trust’ and ‘Amplify Policies and Programmes’ pillars. This is a chance for you, the distinguished members of the press, to engage with senior officials of the Federal Government, on behalf of the good people of Nigeria.
“You will hear first-hand about what the Federal Government is doing, policies, programs, targets and objectives, and you will be able to ask questions and receive relevant clarifications. We have also made efforts to ensure that this Briefing Series receives the widest possible coverage, through traditional and digital platforms.”
He noted that the ministry of agriculture is a very critical sector of the Nigerian economy, saying that the Minister and the Minister of State have been doing a lot of work to implement the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration.
