By John Umeh
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a high-level committee of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to immediately design and implement measures aimed at reducing the skyrocketing cost of transporting food items across Nigeria. The move is part of his administration’s broader strategy to ease inflationary pressures on households and guarantee affordable access to staple foods.
The marching order, revealed by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, in Abuja on Tuesday, signals a new urgency in government’s efforts to stabilize food prices. According to Abdullahi, Tinubu believes that cutting down the cost of moving farm produce from rural areas to urban centers is critical to addressing the current food crisis.
Transport Bottlenecks Driving Food Inflation
Transportation remains one of the biggest contributors to rising food prices in Nigeria. Farmers often complain that by the time crops leave the farms in the North or South-West and reach major cities such as Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt, transportation expenses—fueled by high fuel prices, multiple levies, and poor road conditions—can sometimes double the original farmgate price.
Senator Abdullahi explained that Tinubu’s marching order is centered on ensuring the safe passage of agricultural commodities along critical transport routes. “We are fully aware that the journey from farm to market is where most of the costs are incurred. By addressing this, the administration hopes to remove the hidden charges that make food unaffordable for the average Nigerian,” he said.
Analysts argue that Nigeria loses billions of naira annually due to the inefficiencies in its food distribution system. Produce often rots on the way to markets because of bad roads, while truck drivers face extortion at multiple checkpoints. These challenges ultimately trickle down to consumers who pay more for basic staples like rice, beans, yam, and tomatoes.
Marching Orders Aligned With Food Security Agenda
The Minister emphasized that Tinubu’s directive is consistent with his vision of achieving food sovereignty for Nigeria. Since his inauguration, the President has identified food security as one of his administration’s top priorities, highlighting that a country dependent on food imports can never be fully independent.
“Mr. President is determined to ensure that Nigerians have affordable food on their tables,” Abdullahi stated. “The committee mandated by the FEC is already working on immediate and long-term solutions. Nigerians should expect changes, because reducing transportation costs will directly affect food prices in the market.”
Part of the new measures under consideration includes:
-
Streamlining checkpoints and levies on transport corridors.
-
Improving security to curb banditry and theft along food supply routes.
-
Expanding investment in rural infrastructure, particularly feeder roads that connect farms to highways.
-
Exploring incentives such as subsidized fuel or tax relief for transporters dedicated to moving food items.
Public Expectation and Next Steps
Food inflation has been a recurring concern for Nigerian households, with some families now spending more than 70 percent of their income on meals. Experts believe that without decisive action, the situation could trigger deeper economic hardship and even social unrest.
For this reason, Tinubu’s marching orders have been welcomed by many stakeholders. Farmers’ associations, transport unions, and civil society groups have called on the government to ensure that the committee delivers results quickly and transparently.
A market trader in Abuja, who spoke on the development, noted: “It is not that farmers don’t have food. It is that by the time the food reaches us, the cost of bringing it here makes it unaffordable. If government can reduce transport costs, we the sellers will also reduce prices.”
Senator Abdullahi, however, urged patience, stressing that reforms in the food value chain would take some time to bear fruit. He assured Nigerians that the government is committed to engaging all stakeholders—farmers, distributors, transporters, and security agencies—to deliver a sustainable solution.
With President Tinubu’s latest directive, the spotlight is now firmly on how efficiently government can dismantle the structural barriers inflating food prices. If successfully implemented, the plan could mark a turning point in Nigeria’s struggle with food insecurity by not only stabilizing prices but also restoring confidence in the government’s ability to protect citizens from economic shocks.
The coming weeks will be crucial as Nigerians watch for concrete actions from the FEC committee. For now, Tinubu has made his stance clear: food must move faster, safer, and cheaper from farms to the tables of ordinary citizens.
