Nigerians Blast President Tinubu Over ‘Fake’ 600,000 Bags of Rice at Discount Price

Nigerians Blast President Tinubu Over ‘Fake’ 50kg Bags of Rice at Discount Price

Nigerians in Lagos State have criticized the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government over its silence on the details of where and how to buy the 50kg bags of rice sold at the discounted rate of N40,000 per bag.

On September 5, Abubakar Kyari, the Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) minister, launched the sale of discounted rice in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with a promise that the sale would take place “across the country”.

However, almost two weeks after the launch, the ministry had not said anything about how it intended to implement this food supply intervention in every part of the country.

Speaking in Yaba area of Lagos to THECONSCIENCE NG, Lara Bolarinwa, a resident described the programme as a fake promise from government designed to further silence the people without really meeting their needs.

“The N40,000 per 50kg bags of rice announced by the Tinubu government is another fake promise. I have not seen any Nigerian who has benefited from that discounted sales here in Lagos or any of mh friends or relatives across the country. People are lamenting and screaming of hunger daily and yet this government has been insensitive to our plight. Look around you, there is poverty and hunger everywhere, she said.

Another male resident who craved anonymity queried why such intervention has to be delayed for two weeks after announcement if it’s truly available at this critical time.

He said, “Government appears not to understand what the people are really going through. Fuel price has raised the price of food stuffs and everything and everybody is struggling to get basic things except the politicians.”

According to a statement signed by Eremah Anthonia, a chief information officer at the ministry, the criteria for the sale were the buyers’ National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers.

“This includes one man and one 50kg of rice, others are the verification of intending beneficiaries using relevant identification mediums such as the National Identification Number (NIN) and phone numbers to forestall multiple access to the food commodity by fraudulent individuals at the detriment of other citizens,” the ministry said.

“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each) of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives.”

The statement, posted on X, further stated that “the exercise would also be carried out across the country”. The ministry mentioned that the 30,000 metric tonnes of rice had been dedicated for that purpose.

A metric tonne is 1000kg and a bag is 50kg. This means that there are 600,000 50kg bags in the said 30,000 metric tonnes of rice announced by the government.