The federal government has disclosed plans to share N50,000 to 100,000 households across the country’s 36 states for three months and purchase food items worth N155 billion to be distributed across the country.
President Tinubu disclosed this during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting held in the Presidential Villa on Thursday where he rolled out construction, housing and other support programs for Nigerians.
The Special Adviser to the President on media, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement.
The President during the meeting called on state Governors to work towards meeting the food security needs of their states.
The statement reads, “One-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory of N10 billion for the procurement of buses and CNG uplift programme.
- Delivery of N50,000 uplift grants each to 100,000 families per state for three months.
- Provision for labour unions and civil society organizations.
- Deployment of N155 billion for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuff to be distributed across the nation.
“Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required of us to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. You can never have enough of it. It is getting late.”
“We are ready and able to support you in the form of the mechanization of your agricultural processes and the provision of high-quality seedlings.”
“We are prepared to provide solar-powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons, but we must now produce. We must produce the food our people eat, and it will require coordination and intentionality between members of the National Economic Council (NEC).”
Infrastructure programs approved during the NEC
The president approved the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme across all geo-political zones in the country.
Under this programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, traversing Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, will be prioritized.
Tinubu also emphasized the prioritisation of other road infrastructure projects, including the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway, linking Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Abuja.
Additionally, the president approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, which will pass through Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, and Borno.
He also gave the green light for the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway, which will traverse Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.