The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, convened discussions with National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and key ministers to address pressing concerns regarding food security and recent protests in several states.
The closed-door meeting, which commenced at 05:30 pm, saw the participation of influential figures including Central Bank Governor Yemi Cardoso, and Ministers from various sectors including Education, Finance, Budget and National Planning, and Agriculture.
Amidst rising tensions over cost of living protests in Niger and Kano states, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) clashed with opposition parties, accusing them of fueling dissent against President Bola Tinubu.
Conversely, opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) countered, attributing the unrest to the APC’s policies.
Following the three-hour deliberation, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris briefed State House correspondents, expressing President Tinubu’s concern and his directive for the Presidential Committee to intervene in alleviating the hardships faced by the populace.
Idris emphasized that despite sufficient food supplies in the country, certain elements are exploiting the situation, capitalizing on high food prices and currency depreciation to incite chaos.
He said, “We just rounded off a meeting. It is a special presidential committee to address the issue of food shortage or lack of enough food on the table of most Nigerians.
“This is just the beginning of that meeting. It is going to continue tomorrow and day after tomorrow. The government is very concerned about what Nigerians are going through, especially what has happened in Minna yesterday, and therefore government is taking some action to ensure that Nigerians have some relief in terms of the availability of food on the table.
“Of course, this meeting is not by itself exhaustive. It’s just like I said, the beginning. It is going to continue tomorrow and the day after.
“Now, some of these will involve unlocking the foods that are available in most of the storage facilities (National Food Reserve) around the country. You know that the Federal Minister of Agriculture has some food reserves. That is going to be made available to Nigerians.”
The meeting was held on the heels of the protests by women in Minna, Niger State, and that of angry youths in Kano over the rising cost of living in the country.
A group of women in Minna, Niger State, had on Monday, blocked the ever-busy Minna-Bida Road at the popular Kpakungu Roundabout and called on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to address the problem of ‘hunger in the land.’
Youths in Kano also protested over the hardship in the country and the state governor, Abba Yusuf, assured them that he would take their complaints to the President.