By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja

As an interim measure towards addressing the imminent food insecurity across the country, the Senate yesterday canvassed for food stamps, saying the measure was better than conditional cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians.

The Senate, which based its argument on the failure of conditional cash transfers to the low level citizens during the previous administrations, urged the Executive to act fast in implementing the strategy, which it said had been in existence in the United States since 1939.

The Senate decision followed a motion sponsored by the Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) and Co-Sponsored by Sen.

Reading his motion on the floor of the Senate, Ndume quoted the October 2023 Cadre Harmonisé Analysis on food insecurity which projected that in 2024, Nigeria would see about 26.5 million people grappling with high levels of food insecurity.

He further explained that the reason for the above projection was not far-fetched, as several indicators, which included but not limited to the ongoing conflicts across the country, climate change impacts, escalating inflation as witnessed in recent time, the rising costs of both food and non-essential food commodities due to the fall in the value of Naira in the exchange market.

Worried that many hungry and angry Nigerians have been expressing their frustration and anger over the recent increase in food prices by demonstrating on the streets in several cities across the country, senator Ndume revealed that food Stamp; a government-issued coupon that was given to low-income and non-income persons was a measure to cushion the resultant hardships and sufferings of the poor and less privileged.

”The clamour for wage increase and work support cannot alone guarantee a more effective way of addressing food insecurity without the introduction of time-tested public assistance programme, as contemplated by this motion with particular emphasis on the need for immediate food support across the country. This programme remains the best approach in the interim,not conditional cash transfers which the previous administrations tried and failed several times. It’s been in the United States since 1933,so it’s a matter of the Executive creating a home grown model of the exercise and ensuring a fast implementation before the situation gets out of hand “, he said.

Adopting the motion, the Senate accordingly urged the Federal Government to introduce the Nigeria version of the Food Stamps programme as an interventionist measure to cushion the effects of food insecurity/shortage in the country.

The Senate also mandated the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to liaise with development partners and other relevant stakeholders, especially the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, which introduced Temporary Food Assistance Programme (TEFAP), a few years ago.

“This is with a view to working out practicable templates and implementable modalities for the actualisation of the programme,” the Senate said.

Speaking, the Senate Minority leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) said there was no better time for the motion than now, adding that identifying vulnerable people in his constituency has always been a problem but that the food stamps will help.

On his part, Sadiq Suleiman Umar (APC, Kwara North) said the executive should ensure that only those who needed the food got it, insisting the programme needs to start immediately.

Adding his voice to the motion, Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West) pointed out that despite sharing money to the vulnerable, the food stamps remained more important in this very critical period of food insecurity.

Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East)  who said he was planning for such a programme in his constituency, noted that having such nationally will help vulnerable Nigerians.

However, the Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau who presided over the plenary commended Ndume for the motion, adding that it will help assuage the sufferings of Nigeria.