The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, called an emergency meeting of the State Security Council on Friday, Feb. 9, to discuss the current hardships faced by Nigerians as a result of the skyrocketing prices of food and the activities of certain traders who, taking advantage of the weak Naira, had chosen to export Nigerian food to Niger, Chad, and Libya.
The governor,Dikko Radda, said, “This emergency meeting is to discuss the current situation of food prices, which is threatening the existence of the country.
“The prices of foodstuff are on the increase, which makes it difficult for the poor to purchase, and if something is not done, people will become hungry, which will in effect bring about crisis and insecurity in the country.
” For this, we have to take action to prevent protests in Katsina.
“I was briefed on factors that contributed to this issue. Traders are exporting food commodity to neighbouring Niger, Mali, and some areas of Libya because their currency is more valuable than ours. They purchase bulk food for their nation and use small amounts of it.
“Additionally, we have information that traders load trailers with food every day and wait to sell until the price of the food reaches a certain point. Even though it’s still harvest season, a bag of maize costs roughly N60,000, with a N30,000 minimum wage.
“Consider the quantity of maize that a family man with ten children could purchase in a single day, not to mention additional costs. If care is not taken,the poor will be forced to start stealing food from anyone. We need to reconsider.”
READ MORE: Don’t be Tempted to Criminalise Nigerians Protesting Harsh Economic Conditions—Lukman Tells Tinubu
In addition, he further stated that the majority of the bandits’ informants who were providing them with information have vanished, so they had to devise a new plan. These days, they go on rampage and kidnapping of the poor, who are not guaranteed three square meals.
” Based on security reports, I am part of their target, but that doesn’t bother me. If we don’t treat these issues with seriousness, they will destroy us. We urge individuals to band together and protect themselves from robbers,” he said.