Federal Government Distributes 24,000 Bags of Rice to Each State of the Federation Including Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
In a significant move to address food insecurity, the Federal Government has launched a massive nationwide distribution of rice, totaling 740 trucks across the country. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, on Monday.
Each of the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is set to receive 20 trucks of rice, with each truck carrying approximately 1,200 25-kg bags.
This amounts to about 24,000 bags of rice per state, targeting the most vulnerable populations.
“The understanding is that about 20 trucks of rice have already been supplied to each of the states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory,” Idris stated.
He pointed out that the rice distribution was part of the government’s wider procedure to alleviate the tough times experienced by many Nigerians due to food crises.
The Minister urged state governors to ensure swift and equitable distribution of the rice to those most in need.
“It is expected that the state governors will go ahead and distribute this food item to the most vulnerable,” he said, adding that the measure was aimed at significantly reducing the current hardships faced by citizens.
The Minister stressed that the government was committed to ensuring food availability for most Nigerians and will continue to work on making food interventions accessible.
“The Federal Executive Council is intensifying all necessary measures to guarantee that the majority of Nigerians have access to food,” he declared.
In addition to the rice distribution, Idris highlighted ongoing efforts to boost agricultural productivity.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has received over 2.1 million bags of various fertilisers from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for subsequent distribution to the state.
The initiative was expected to support farmers and enhance crop yields across the country.
Looking ahead, the Minister announced that investments in the agricultural sector would be increased.
He also mentioned the imminent launch of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, a new initiative announced by President Tinubu, which is expected to further strengthen the country’s agricultural capabilities.
Idris gave the populace confidence that the Federal Government would do everything in its power to guarantee that there would be more food produced and available for Nigerians.
In addition to the food distribution initiative, the FEC has directed the Presidential Committee on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to accelerate its activities.
This includes increasing the supply of CNG-compatible buses and making conversion kits more widely available to the public.
Increased use of CNG as a substitute fuel will lessen Nigeria’s reliance on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and aid Nigeria’s move to renewable energy sources.
The Minister also announced that conversion centres that have already received approval will undergo major renovations to improve their accessibility and capacity for Nigerians looking to convert their cars to compressed natural gas.
