Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, says rice is no longer a luxury item for Nigerians.
According to Bwala, the Tinubu administration’s food security policies have made the staple more accessible and affordable.
Speaking in an interview with DW Africa on Friday, Bwala said the government has made “tangible and verifiable progress” in the areas of food security and healthcare delivery over the past year.
He said the removal of tariffs on key food commodities helped break monopolies and lower the cost of food for ordinary Nigerians.
“In the past few months, Nigerians have seen improvements in food access, particularly rice, across the board.
“The Tinubu administration took bold steps that disrupted price manipulation by grain cartels. Today, rice is available and affordable to Nigerians at all levels,” he said.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu had issued an executive order in August 2024 suspending import duties on food staples for six months, which enabled large-scale private sector imports.
He said the policy resulted in a significant drop in prices, citing examples from June and July where the price of a 50kg bag of rice fell from over ₦100,000 to between ₦60,000 and ₦65,000 in major cities.
He added that some federal allocations were even pegged at lower prices.
“In addition to private sector initiatives, the federal government also distributed over 700 truckloads of rice to all 36 states and the FCT, aimed at cushioning the effects of food inflation and addressing hunger across the country,” he stated.
Bwala said the government remains committed to stabilising prices and ensuring nationwide access to basic food items.
He noted that while stakeholders have raised concerns about the sustainability of the programme and the impact on local farmers, the administration is focused on implementing longer-term reforms to boost domestic production.
“The policies are already yielding results and more structural reforms are underway to consolidate the gains,” he said.