The Strategic Grain Reserve Storage Programme (SGRSP) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has moved to lay necessary groundwork to commence implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s order for immediate distribution of grains to states towards reducing food prices occasioned by the recent fuel subsidy removal.
Nigerian Spokesman Newspaper reports that the groundwork, according to a top ministry source describing it as “tidy, comprehensive and workable”, is in swift response by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe to the presidential directive especially after his detailed presentation last Thursday at the Presidential Villa on the ministry’s plans at the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
It was gathered that members of the Council comprising state governors, Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and Federal Ministry of Finance among other stakeholders unanimously lauded and endorsed Dr. Umakhihe’s submissions for immediate implementation.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State who briefed State House correspondents shortly after the NEC’s 134th meeting chaired by the vice president disclosed that the council had directed NEMA to immediately allocate substantial portions of grains and other food items for distribution to bring down prices of food stuff in the respective states in practical fulfillment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable citizens across the country.
“The grains will be given at subsidized rates or at the rates they were acquired. The CBN’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and its agric programme have ensured a large stock of rice and other grains. These will be made available within one week so that they will be distributed to the states”, the governor said.
He noted that it was expected that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s silos stocked with grains under the buffer stock programme (SGRSP) will be deployed for the exercise, explaining that states were at liberty to give out the grains at subsidized rates, or free of charge or sell it in such a way that it will crash the prices of food items and make them affordable for the common people, pointing out that Federal Government’s established food security gesture would surely cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on all Nigerians.
Meanwhile, checks at the weekend by this newspaper at the Department of Strategic Grains Reserves of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development located at the imposing NAIC House in the Central Business District of Abuja revealed that arrangements for the immediate execution of the presidential directive were in top gear.
Very senior and junior staff numbering over 100 were busy meeting in groups and attending to different assignments reportedly contained in a wisely circulated roaster prepared by the Director, Engineer Suleman Haruna and ostensibly approved by the permanent secretary some hours after he left the NEC meeting for his office at the ministry in Area 11, Garki where he met hordes of visitors.
Frantic attempts to see the director proved abortive but some staff who spoke anonymously because they are not permitted to speak confirmed that advanced arrangements had almost been concluded by the department to commence without delay the immediate distribution of grains through NEMA to states as directed by the president and endorsed by NEC.
“As you can see, from the busy movements of files and staff in various meetings and communication around its offices where our 33 silos are sited across the country, the department is fully mobilized for this critical presidential assignment especially being its very first major assignment under the new president.
“It may interest you to know that our director, Engineer Sule Haruna, who knows this job very well, has left firm instructions from the permanent secretary on what to do to ensure the success of the assignment. Necessary contacts are being made to all our staff serving at our various silos nationwide. They already know what to do. The director has cautioned us against bungling his department’s first major assignment under the Administration of President Bola Tinubu, warning that any lapses whatsoever will be met with utmost sanctions.
“You may also recall that when COVID-19 pandemic hit the country early 2020 necessitating a national lockdown in April 2020, former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered 70, 000 metric tonnes of grains to be released to people especially vulnerable households to mitigate the negative effects of the lockdown.
“It was our department under this same Engineer Sule Haruna who led a team that coordinated the release and distribution of the grains to states and local governments with ease. This time around, it won’t be an exception”, the staff said.
The SGRSP was designed BY Federal Government to provide relief in time of national disasters, drought, and war locally and internationally. It is to provide a ready and accessible market for locally produced items through Buyers of Last Resort mechanism, to maintain price stability and ensure food security.
It would be recalled that the special adviser to the president on special duties, communications and strategy, Mr. Dele Alake recently told state house correspondents after a recent meeting President Bola Tinubu had with stakeholders on agriculture and food production value-chain that the president had declared a state of emergency on food security, saying that he (president) was mindful of the rising cost of food and its effect on the pockets of the citizens.
Mr. Dele Alake also emphasized that the President directed that all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council, stressing that the directive was in line with President Tinubu administration’s position on ensuring that the most vulnerable citizens are supported.
There are 33 Silos existing with a capacity of 1,360,000 metric tons of grains which are almost evenly spread through the six geo-political zones of the country. They are commonly used for bulk storage of grains, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust.
In Nigeria, silos are mainly used to store grains like maize, sorghum, millet, and rice. Some of them are located in Ado-Ekiti-Ekiti, Akure Ondo, Bauchi-Bauchi, Bulasa-Kebbi, Ezillo-Ebonyi, Gaya-Kano, Gombe-Gombe, Ibadan-Oyo, Igbariam-Anambra, Ikene-Ogun, Ilorin-Kwara, Irrua-Edo, Jahun-Jigawa, Jalingo-Taraba, Jos-Plateau, Kaduna-Kaduna, Kwali-FCT, Lafiagi-Kwara, Makurdi-Benue, Minna-Niger, Ogoja-Cross River, Okigwe-Imo, Sokoto-Sokoto, and Uyo-Akwa-Ibom.
