“Mass Action Ahead,” Senators Warn, As Strategic Food Reserves Run Out

The Nigerian Senate has expressed fear of a possible mass action as Nigeria’s food crisis deepens. The red chamber noted that all government-owned food reserves across the country are empty.

West Africa Weekly reported that widespread hunger and hardship have become unbearable for many Nigerians, to the extent that some opted for suicide. 

At plenary on Tuesday, senators acknowledge the diminishing purchasing power of Nigerians as a result of food inflation. They called on the executive to address the food insecurity and avert impending mass action.

Adopting a motion sponsored by Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), the red chamber urged the Presidency to take urgent steps to address the food crisis and inform its steps to Nigerians to calm Nigerians.

In his attempt to calm the angry senators, Senate President Godswill Akpabio summoned the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Salihu Mustapha, to disclose some of the steps being taken by the executive to address the problem, especially the issue of distribution of fertilisers which some senators raised.

Senator Mustapha explained that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, temporarily halted the nationwide fertiliser distribution for security reasons. He, however, noted that there was an assurance from the executive that the exercise would soon begin. 

He further disclosed that each state had been allocated 60 trucks of fertilisers to be shared by the governors. He added that senators and members of the House of Representatives will each get two trucks and one truck, respectively, to be shared with their constituents. 

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s food inflation rose above 40 per cent in May 2024.

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