The Federal Government of Nigeria has established centres across the country where 50kg bags of rice are being sold at a subsidized price of N40,000 each.
This initiative was announced by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to Minister Idris, this measure is part of a broader effort by the Tinubu administration to alleviate the high cost of living in the country.
He emphasized that the government is already addressing the concerns raised by groups planning nationwide protests against economic hardships.
He said:
“The position of the FEC is that most of the demands that the protesters are making are actually being addressed by the federal government and therefore it is the view of the government that there is really no need for the protests again.
“Because most of those things that the protesters are putting forward are already actually being addressed or are being addressed by government. And like we have said repeatedly, this is a listening government.
“The President has listened to the voices of all those who are planning this protest. And the message is that there is no need for it.
“Indeed, the President is already protesting on their behalf by doing those things that they want a government to do.
“For example, the effort that government is making to ensure that food is being made available. The last Council meeting here at the briefing, we announced that a number of trucks, 20 precisely, had been given to the state governors for onward distribution to those who are actually in need of them, to the poorest of the poor in society and those who are actually in need.
“But government did not stop. There is also rice that is being sold at about 50% of its cost, a bag of rice is being sold as we speak now.
“This rice has been taken to various centres across all the states of the federation, and is being sold at N40,000. Centres have been created so that those who need this rice can go there and buy it at N40,000.
“In the first instance, about 10 trucks have been made available to each of these states and indeed, this is just the beginning.
“I know that some of the comments you hear are that it is never enough. Government has not pretended that these supplies are indeed enough. But these are necessary first steps that are being made and more of such interventions are being made in the interim.
“Of course, this is like I said an interim measure because there is so much investment that is going into the agricultural sector.
“And the rainy season is here. We expect that the prices of food items will come down as investments are also being made not just for traditional agricultural production, but also for irrigation activities in many of these states in the federation.
“So, we expect that as we move forward, prices of food items and commodities will, of course, come down.
“These are part of the measures and the president feels and the federal executive council believes that already some of the youth that want to protest, some of the answers that they are looking for are already actually being provided.
“For example, only recently the federal government has begun the disbursement of student loans. There’s a provision already for over 2 million students.
“Only about 110,000 applications have thus far been received as at last week. Of course, more are going to come.
“So, there’s adequate provision for all those who are qualified, who can access these loans and who have fulfilled the conditions.
“The desire of Mr. President is that no student, no young person that has gained admission into any of our tertiary institutions will be left out because his parents or his guardian is unable to pay for his fees.
“But beyond that, there is also the provision that is being made for these young people. We are aware of the effort that is being made to ensure that about 3 million of them are being put into employment through the MTT program.
“There is also for the general public the reduction that is envisaged by the time the CNG initiative of the federal government actually takes full course.
“Already, some of these buses have been imported. Some of the conversion kits are already available. The conversion centres are already beginning to get active.
“The delays are largely because you don’t just go to the market and get these things off the shelves.
“First, the procurement processes have to be followed. And then of course you have to place orders for them and it is envisaged that as we make the transition from fossil fuel to renewables, there is going to be a reduction of over 60% in the cost that people put into transportation.
“If you have your car, it is envisaged that you’re going to spend about 60% less and that money that comes back to your pocket, but the emphasis at the beginning is going to be on commercial buses, for mass transit so that workers especially and those who are moving around will have reduction in the fares that they pay.
“Now, this in combination with so many other things that government is doing, government is appealing once again, to those who have the intention of embarking on this protest to please think about it once again.
“There is just no need for that. Of course, it is the democratic right of every Nigerian to engage in peaceful protests. And the government is not an opponent to that.
“But what the government is doing is to ensure that while there is this right for you to protest, your right will also end where someone else‘s own begins.
“Therefore, while you are thinking of protesting, government is appealing to you to first shelve it because it has the great likelihood that this protest may be hijacked and may turn violent by unscrupulous elements, and Nigeria will not be good for it.
“Of course, we know that people are saying that there is no intention for violence in this, but our history has shown that there’s the possibility that this protest can be hijacked and could turn violent.”