President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate release of 10,000 tons of grains from the national strategic grains reserves for national distribution to check food price increases and exploitation of ordinary Nigerians by traders.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, Buhari has also directed the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, to ensure that all the able-bodied men and women in IDP camps be assisted to return to farming immediately.
The directives were in reaction to calls for government measures to ease hardship associated with rising cost of food.
The Presidency, however, explained that the devastation of the economy was caused by the Boko Haram insurgency, corruption and lack of planning by the past administrations and one that should not be blamed on the Change Agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The Presidency also rejected the insinuations that poverty and lack are traits of the Change mantra.
The statement reads: “This should be dismissed as an erroneous and misplaced opposition criticism. The President understands the pain and the cries of the citizens of this country and he is spending sleepless nights over how he can make life better for everyone.
“Contrary to assertions by a faction of the opposition Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), the President’s energy and focus are on changing the life of Nigerians, with a view to making it better than he met it.
“Change is a process. Change does not happen overnight. Change can be inconvenient. Change sometimes comes with pain. Over the past year, the government has been working night and day to deliver on its promise of change to Nigerians, and the painful process is still ongoing.
“This is work in progress. As life gradually returns to normal in much of the country and the northeast in particular, agriculture will resume and traders from neighbouring African countries will once again feel safe to do business with us, yet another boost for our economy”.
Mr. Shehu stressed that it is only when Nigerians appreciate where they are coming from that they will grasp the full meaning and essence of what the ongoing journey entails.
