President Bola Tinubu has offered insights into his decision to temporarily suspend import duties on selected food items, aiming to alleviate food shortages and enhance affordability for consumers.
Speaking at the public presentation of Olusegun Osoba’s book “My Life in the Public Eye” in Lagos on Saturday, Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscored the necessity of these measures in light of escalating food prices nationwide.
“These policies, announced earlier this week by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari, are short-term solutions to address the current challenges of rising food costs,” President Tinubu explained. “We are taking steps to combat food shortages by temporarily eliminating tariffs on imported grains and other essential food items.”
President Tinubu reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensuring food security and sufficiency in Nigeria. Emphasizing a dual strategy of promoting local production and supporting immediate relief through imports, he stated, “Our goal remains steadfast: to boost local production and ensure that Nigeria produces a significant portion of what it consumes.”
The suspension of import duties, particularly on commodities like maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas, is part of a broader effort by the government to manage food security concerns in the short term. Despite concerns raised by some stakeholders, including farmers worried about the impact on local production, the President assured that these measures are intended to bridge supply gaps and ease the financial burden on households grappling with high food inflation.
President Tinubu’s stance underscores a balancing act between short-term relief and long-term sustainability in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
