The Yobe State government has set up a 24-man committee on food security, to tackle food scarcity and ameliorate the hardship citizens are experiencing.
The Committee is saddled with the responsibility of halting the export of grains to foreign countries and addressing the problem of hoarding essential commodities within the state.
Inaugurating the committee on Wednesday, Governor Mai Mala Buni said, as the nation grapples with the consequences of oil subsidy withdrawal, inflation, unfavourable foreign exchange and other economic challenges, some unscrupulous elements are taking advantage of the situation by causing additional hardship to the people through unnecessary bulk purchase and hoarding of staple food.
He lamented that such profiteering is inhumane to universal laws and immoral to state’s norms and values.
“The Committee has the following as its terms of reference:-
“Coordinate with security agencies to halt export of grains outside the country and address the problem of hoarding of grains within the State.
“Sale of procured grains to the public at subsidized prices.
“Ensure the establishment of similar committees at the Local levels to address the problem of food insecurity in the State.
“Advise and give suggestions to the government or any other measures that are necessary to address the problem of food insecurity in the state”, he said.
Buni, who admitted that the responsibilities of the high-powered committee are indeed very large, appealed to members of the public to cooperate with the committee by providing vital information to address the menace of food insecurity in the state.
“As for the committee members, I enjoin them to quickly swing into action as delay may hamper public interest”, he directed.
