President Gives FEC Committee Marching Orders as Farmers, Traders Await Relief
ABUJA — In a decisive move to tame soaring food costs, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a direct order to a Federal Executive Council (FEC) committee to urgently crash food prices across the country and pave the way for Nigeria’s food sovereignty.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, revealed the presidential directive yesterday while presenting a paper at a one-day capacity-building workshop organised by the Senate Press Corps in Abuja.
Abdullahi explained that the new order would be implemented through the facilitation of safe passage for agricultural produce and commodities across the nation’s major routes — a move expected to reduce the crippling cost of transporting farm goods and, in turn, bring down market prices.
> “The President has given a marching order to a Federal Executive Council committee already handling it, on how we are going to promote safe passage of agricultural goods and commodities across our various routes in the country,” Abdullahi declared.
He noted that high transportation costs remain a major driver of skyrocketing food prices, with farmers and traders spending enormous amounts to deliver produce to markets, inevitably pushing prices beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians.
Food Sovereignty as a National Vision
The minister said Tinubu’s directive was not just about cheaper food but about building a foundation for sustainable food security and sovereignty.
According to Abdullahi, the vision rests on four pillars: availability, accessibility, affordability, and nutritional quality of food — all on a sustainable basis.
He added that several initiatives were already lined up to reinforce the strategy, including:
Farmer Soil Health Scheme – ready for launch to boost productivity through healthier farmlands.
Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme – designed to reorganise agricultural cooperatives into powerful engines for resource mobilisation, job creation, and improved livelihoods.
“Mr. President has shown tremendous interest in the cooperative sector as a veritable tool for economic activity and livelihood improvement. The principle of cooperatives is democratic, productive, and sustainable, and we are reforming it,” Abdullahi said.
He even encouraged members of the Senate Press Corps to form a cooperative, noting that journalists too could benefit from such a system.
Workshop Highlights
The workshop, themed “Parliamentary Reporting: Issues, Challenges and Responsibilities”, also featured other distinguished speakers, including the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu; former presidential aide Senator Ita Enang; and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, who was represented.
Their sessions focused on strengthening the relationship between parliament and the media while tackling misinformation and deepening democratic accountability.
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