The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken steps to address the issue of food shortages in the country by distributing 20 trucks of rice each to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This was announced by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday.
The minister appealed to the governors to ensure the effective distribution of the grains to the most vulnerable in the society. This move comes as Nigeria’s inflation figure has reached a new high, hitting 34.19% for June 2024, according to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The rise in food inflation was triggered by an increase in the average prices of food items such as groundnut oil, palm oil, water yam, cassava, tobacco, catfish, and snail. The government’s distribution of rice to the states is a step towards addressing the food shortages and high inflation rates in the country.
