The presidential committee on emergency food intervention recently met over the rising cost of living in Nigeria, but how much will this committee achieve in bringing down the food inflation currently bedevilling the nation?

Development Diaries reports that President Bola Tinubu, before his return from France, directed immediate interventions to alleviate the suffering of millions of Nigerians, including vulnerable groups, and forestall a further breakdown in security.

No doubt, the protests that took place on Monday and Tuesday in Minna, Kano, and Ondo over the rising cost of living in the country spurred the president to action.

According to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, the special presidential committee is meant to address the issue of food shortages or the lack of enough food on the tables of most Nigerians.

The question is, how can this fire brigade approach help to bring down the increasing prices of food for the vulnerable Nigerians to be able to afford?

The food inflation or the high cost of living did not just begin; the evidence has been there based on figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Why has nothing been done since?

Did it have to take a protest to spur the president into action?

Nigerians have been faced with increased hardship since the removal of fuel subsidies in June, and the situation is not getting any better.

This petty trader, Oluwafunmilola Ijoko, is still reeling from shock of the increase in the prices of her wares since the last time she went to the market.

‘Omo the prices of things dey really shock me o. Because as I reach market, I go market last week, things wey I buy, all those our rubber-rubber wey we dey buy N150, I reach the market, dem dey sell am for us N250, even the hot wey we dey use mix agbo, we dey buy am before N1,700, na im the owner of the shop con talk say na N1,800.

‘E vex me eh. The money wey I suppose to buy like four litres I use am buy two litres, but I no get choice, I have to buy it’.

Saviour Daniel, who works as an artisan, is also saddened by the happenings in the economy.

‘Before, peak milk sachet was N50, now dem don put N20 on top the N100 wey dem add, con make am N120. So where the economy dey even drive us go? 

‘If you see onions N50, e no go do you cook indomie. Before, if you buy onions N50, you fit use am three times take cook. Now onions N50 no dey market, pepper N50 no dey. Pepper now na N100, e no even reach six seeds o. Things don too cost for this country, make dem try help us’, he said.

It is no longer news that the government is failing in its responsibility to take care of the welfare of its citizens.

Additionally, nothing is being heard of the social welfare measures that were announced by the Ministery of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The measures, or palliative, that were introduced to alleviate the burden on the most vulnerable segments of the country have done nothing to achieve their purpose.

What short- and long-term measures must be adopted?

In response to these protests, the government must prioritise addressing the root causes of the economic strain faced by its citizens.

First, the government must implement comprehensive economic reforms to tackle inflation and stabilise the struggling currency, the naira. This may involve measures such as prudent fiscal policies, enhancing agricultural productivity, and fostering a conducive environment for foreign investment.

Development Diaries calls on President Tinubu to urgently adopt realistic measures to address food inflation and hunger among citizens before it leads to a state of anarchy.

Photo source: Anadolu Agency