The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said it is working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on modalities for direct distribution of food items released from strategic reserves at the states and local government areas.
A statement signed by Head, Press Unit of the agency, Mr Manzo Ezekiel, was released yesterday to clarify a publication of Daily Trust on the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to release food items from strategic reserve for the agency to distribute to Nigerians.
Daily Trust had reported that two weeks after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the agric ministry to release 42,000 metric tons of maize, millet and other commodities from the national strategic reserve to Nigerians for free, the items are yet to be distributed.
Ezekiel said the food items were presently being bagged by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security at the silos.
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He explained that the food items were not in bags but in the silos, hence they needed to be bagged before they would be transported directly to the states and local government areas, where all stakeholders will be involved in the distribution.
Ezekiel noted that haulage of the bagged items from silos will start very soon. “The agency has also prepared a detailed breakdown of the distribution per states and LGAs as well as established all relevant stakeholders including State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and security agencies for a seamless distribution nationwide.
“This concerted effort is aimed at making the distribution process efficient, transparent and far-reaching to every part of the country,” he said.
He stated that NEMA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security were working together on the directive of the president and approval by the FEC.
