President Tinubu Orders Urgent FEC Action As Food Prices Bite Hard, Sets New Reforms For Farmers And Transport

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged members of a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee with a clear directive: move urgently to reduce food prices across Nigeria and ensure agricultural produce flows more smoothly across the nation’s highways.

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, revealed this development on Wednesday while addressing participants at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents in Abuja. He explained that Tinubu’s order was focused on cutting down logistics costs that have pushed prices beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians. According to Abdullahi, the committee has been tasked to work on security measures and safe passage of goods, a decision reflecting government recognition of the central role transport plays in food affordability.

Food insecurity has grown into one of the most pressing challenges for Africa’s most populous country. Following the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, transport costs surged dramatically, worsening the movement of farm goods and causing retail food prices to spike. This crisis has been compounded by recurring insecurity across major road networks, limiting supply chains and leaving farmers unable to get their products to markets. The result has been an increasingly dire situation where staples such as rice, maize, yam, and tomatoes remain unaffordable for many households.

Government interventions have been announced repeatedly, yet inflation in food continues to outpace wage growth and family incomes. The latest directive from the presidency signals a new phase in the administration’s response. Abdullahi told participants at the workshop that this move is part of Tinubu’s broader ambition to steer Nigeria towards food sovereignty, an agenda he has spoken about since the early days of his administration. According to him, food sovereignty in this context means more than production alone, but also affordability, accessibility, and long-term sustainability.

Beyond tackling transport challenges, the minister disclosed that the government is preparing to launch a Farmer Soil Health Scheme, an initiative intended to improve productivity through better land management and scientific soil treatment. In his words, the scheme will serve as a critical platform to enhance yields, restore degraded farmlands, and build resilience against climate-induced farming difficulties.

Complementing this, Abdullahi also announced that the federal government is finalizing plans for a revamped cooperative reform initiative. The goal, he explained, is to mobilize resources and empower rural farmers who constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s agricultural sector. He noted that President Tinubu has personally expressed strong interest in strengthening the cooperative movement as a tool for grassroots economic development and livelihood improvement. “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,” he said.

The Abuja event where Abdullahi made these remarks was themed “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities.” It drew the presence of key figures including Senator Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media, former presidential aide Senator Ita Solomon Enang, and Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman. The setting provided a platform for government officials and legislators to exchange perspectives on governance, media responsibilities, and national priorities.

President Tinubu has consistently framed food security as one of the pillars of his administration. In his Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly earlier this year, he declared that Nigeria is already on the path toward food sovereignty thanks to measures already in place. He highlighted the “Nigeria First” policy which he believes will consolidate market-driven growth and strengthen the country’s agricultural base. At that event, Tinubu projected a medium-term target of seven percent economic growth, noting that no nation can thrive without producing the bulk of its own food.

The challenge remains steep. Rising inflation, global supply chain disruptions, and local insecurity continue to weigh heavily on the food sector. Farmers in many regions struggle with the twin threats of banditry and herder-farmer clashes, often abandoning their lands or facing difficulties moving harvests to urban centers. Transporters are equally constrained by the high cost of petrol and diesel, which in turn raises the price of every item delivered to the market.

Analysts argue that if Tinubu’s directive is effectively implemented, it could bring relief to households already stretched thin by skyrocketing living costs. Creating safe corridors for farm produce, for instance, has the potential to reduce spoilage, cut insurance risks for drivers, and lower the number of middlemen inflating costs along the chain. Combined with soil improvement programs and cooperative financing reforms, the plan may also build resilience in rural communities where poverty is most acute.

Critics, however, caution that government promises in the past have not always translated into meaningful results for the average citizen. They argue that beyond high-level directives, there must be transparent mechanisms for monitoring, accountability, and enforcement. Without such systems, farmers may remain vulnerable, logistics may continue to be costly, and consumers may still find food beyond their purchasing power.

Still, Tinubu’s renewed push reflects a recognition that rising food costs threaten not only the economy but also social stability. Hunger has a direct link to rising insecurity and declining public trust, both of which Nigeria can ill afford at this moment of transition. With the economy under strain and unemployment rates still elevated, reducing the cost of essential commodities could be the most immediate form of relief for struggling families.

As Nigerians await the rollout of these measures, the debate continues over whether they will be sufficient to tame inflation and guarantee affordable nutrition. For now, all eyes are on the FEC committee charged with carrying out the president’s order. Its success or failure will likely determine whether Tinubu’s vision of food sovereignty can move from rhetoric to reality in the daily lives of citizens.