Nigeria inaugurates team for transportation of food, livestock
By Tanko Mohammed
Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has inaugurated a team for the smooth transportation of food items and livestock amidst the restriction of movement.
Dr Ofumaka Ikechukwu, the Coordinator of the Ministry, said, that the inauguration was based on the directive of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Ikechukwu explained that the team would coordinate and ensure unhindered transportation of food items and livestock as well as farmers movement for farming related issues to avoid food crisis.
“The Police and other security agencies checking violators of restriction should allow free movements of farmers and farm produce to ensure food security in the country.
“Once a farmer identifies himself or herself, they should not be delayed in line with the directive of the Federal Government, which exempted farmers from the restriction,’’ the coordinator added.
He said that the members of the team were drawn from the Ministry, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Others, he said, were All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).
Ikechukwu said the Commissioner of Police in the state would chair the team, while the ministry would serve as its secretariat.
He urged members to liaise with the Nasarawa State Government and Chairmen of Local Government Areas in the state to replicate the committee at the local levels.
Responding, the State’s Commissioner of Police, Bola Longe, who was represented by Jericho Jonathan, a senior officer in the command, said the initiative was apt given the current situation in the country.
The commissioner said that the police command would issue signal to all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) on the development to ensure full implementation of the government directive.