Nigeria to Provide Subsidized Rice for Police Personnel; Authorities Urgently Compile List of Interested Officers
By Okafor Joseph Afam
November 11, 2024
In a new initiative aimed at easing food costs for essential workers, the Nigerian government is set to supply rice to police personnel at a subsidized rate. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has directed police authorities to compile a list of interested personnel who wish to benefit from this program.
An internal memo dated November 8, 2024, obtained by our sources, urged police divisional commissioners, sectional heads, and other officials to expedite the listing process. “Be informed that the command is expecting a supply of rice for sale from the Federal Ministry of Agric at a subsidized rate. You are to compile and forward the list of those interested to buy. Treat as very urgent and important, please,” the memo stated.
This move follows recent events in October when civil servants in Abuja expressed frustration over the abrupt suspension of a similar subsidized rice sale program. Priced at N40,000 per 50-kilogram bag, the government initiative had been promised to Nigerians as part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to stabilize food prices. However, the program was halted without warning, leaving many workers who hadn’t yet received their rice feeling disappointed and concerned.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Abubakar Kyari, explained that this subsidized rice program, which included a pledged 30,000 metric tonnes of 50-kilogram bags, was part of a broader strategy to counter rising food costs. Although the program had begun with promise, its sudden suspension highlighted the ongoing challenges of implementing food security initiatives amid Nigeria’s fluctuating economic landscape.
Police authorities are now moving quickly to ensure that officers interested in the subsidized rice benefit from the program. The government has yet to announce any plans for resuming rice sales to other public workers or the general public.
