The Federal Government has launched the sale of 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to public servants with registered National Identification Numbers (NINs) to combat fraudulent activities and reduce food prices in Nigerian markets.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, at the launch event, emphasized that the rice will be sold strictly on a “one person, one bag” basis.
The rice, priced at a flat rate of N40,000 for 50kg, is part of the Federal Government’s intervention to alleviate the ongoing food crisis in Nigeria.
“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation,” he said.
“As one of the numerous efforts of the present administration to cushion the effect of high cost of food commodities, kindly join me to applaud the immense efforts of the present administration such as the release of 42,000MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000MT of milled rice which is being flagged-off for sales to Nigerians today 5th September, 2024.”
The minister blamed COVID-19, the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change amidst other localized factors/challenges for the high cost of food prices.
“This has led to increase concern and risk of food insecurity and general decline in the standard of living globally. I therefore urge us to understand that the present challenges are not peculiar to our great country,” he said.
The Federal Government, recognizing the possible challenges associated with selling an essential staple like rice during this critical time, has implemented a multidisciplinary government machinery and established specific processes and conditions to ensure the transparency, widespread reach, and success of this initiative
“This includes one man one 50kg of rice, others are the verification of intending beneficiaries using relevant identification mediums such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers to forestall multiple access to this food commodity by fraudulent individuals at the detriment of other citizens,” he said.
He implored citizens to cooperate with the relevant citizens to achieve the initiative.
“Let us work together to ensure that the dream of the present administration to upheld the fundamental right to food for all Nigerians is achieved. It is expected that with the injection 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each of this important staple into Nigeria food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives.”
The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to remain patient and supportive of President Bola Tinubu as his efforts to improve food security begin to yield positive results.
Haruna Sule Abutu, the Director of Food and Strategic Reserve at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, listed out the process for purchasing the subsidized rice.
“To qualify for the one person one bag, you must have National Identification Number, of course you have phone numbers and those in public service are all registered under the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platform,” he stated.
“Once you have any of these three, at the point of sale, with the NIN logged into the system, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that the buyer can get to the collection center and pick up his bag. The receipt will indicate, time and point of collection to eliminate stampede.”
This article was written by Tamaraebiju Jide, a student at Elizade University
