By Muhammad Goronyo,Sokoto
The Chairman of the National Association of Bureau De Change ( BDCs) Operators, Sokoto State Chapter, Alhaii Aliyu Sahabi ‘Yar-Abba, has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently lift the ban on rice importation.
‘Yar-Abba has also called on the Federal Government to take more plausible measures, to bolster the local production of the direly needed food items, especially rice .
The Chairman, who is also a large scale farmer, made the passionate plea in a statement he issued to newsmen in Sokoto , at the weekend.
According to him,the call has become extremely imperative as majority of Nigerians were now wallowing in abject poverty, occasioned by the negative tolls the raging global Coronavirus Disease ( COVID-19), had taken on the global economy, including Nigeria.
‘Yar-Abba further lamented that , the precarious situation Nigerians found themselves was formidably aggravated by the ever-increasing hyper inflation .
He decried: ” Majority of Nigerians are now finding it too hard to put food on the table , hence, it is now a daunting task for most bread winners to fend for their families .
” Most families had since forgotten something called balanced diet or three square meals, as what they are struggling for is anything that can go into the stomach.
” There is really palatable hunger in the country and the earlier this ban is lifted, even if it is temporary, the better for Nigerians and the pauperized citizens.”
‘Yar-Abba further appealed to the Federal Government, to initiate more workable policies and programmes, aimed at further boosting the local production of assorted items.
Doing so, he noted, will encourage more Nigerians to engage in farming , beyond the subsistence level.
The BDCs Chairman, while commending the Federal Government for sustaining the fight against the various forms of insecurity, urged it to take more concrete steps, to further guarantee the safety of lives and property .
According to him , “whereas some parts of the country were relatively safe for farming activities, in some parts of the country , the residents were more concerned with the security of their lives and property .”
‘ Yar-Abba added that, such measures will encourage the colossal number of Nigerians who were internally displaced and those who have become refugees beyond the shores of the country, to return home and engage in farming .
” This is the only way to reduce the current hardship Nigerians are facing, as well as mitigate the effect of hunger and starvation .”
