Honourable Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to ignore those criticising him for the suspension of tariffs, duties, and taxes on the importation of food grains and other products into the country.
Oyintiloye, a former member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), said either those criticising the policy were benefiting from the economic challenges that the Nigerian masses are facing or were planning to push the masses against the president by causing unnecessary unrest in society.
The APC chieftain, who made the remarks while speaking with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that Nigerians were highly hopeful and were eager to get a dividend of democracy as quickly as possible
He, however, said that the global economic crisis, coupled with unavoidable policies introduced by the present administration, was mitigating the renewed agenda of the president, but steps taken in recent times to revamp the economy are beginning to yield the desired results.
Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, said that although the tariff suspension might not be the lasting solution to the food crisis in the country, it will cushion the effects of the crisis ravaging the country in the short term, adding that the president should be commended for taking the bold step.
The APC chieftain said that for the president to give relief to consumers on certain products against the Trade Policy on Import Ban, it shows that his administration was responsible and responsive to the outcry of Nigerians.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government on July 8 announced the suspension of duties, tariffs, and taxes on some essential food items imported through land and sea borders.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, who made this known during a press briefing in Abuja, said that the listed food items, which include maize, wheat, husked brown rice, and cowpeas, will enjoy a 150-day duty-free import window.
Oyintiloye said that the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showing that food inflation in the country rose to 40.66 per cent in May from 40.53 per cent in April was a signal that the government needed to take a bold step as the president did to address the situation.
“I want to commend the bold step taken by the president on the tariff suspension on food imports.
“Although this might not be the permanent solution to the food crisis in the country, it will go a long way in ameliorating the situation.
“The president should ignore the criticism by those who see nothing good in the decision.
“Nigeria voted for good governance and a high standard of living, and in order to achieve this and many others, the president should focus on how to improve the economy and lift the country out of an inherited economic quagmire and ignore the critics,” he said.
Oyintiloye, who noted that agriculture remains a cornerstone of Nigerian life, said the government should not relent in its aggressive efforts to make food available in abundance.
The APC chieftain, however, urged the government at all levels to discard the old subsistence system of farming, storing, and processing and embrace mechanised systems of farming.
Oyintiloye also said the government should empower and encourage farmers with soft loans, subsidise farming implements for genuine farmers, provide adequate security, and integrate the youth into agriculture systems
“I strongly believe that with all the interventions the government has put in place to tackle the Food crisis in the country, the projection of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, that the government will crash food prices in the next 180 days is achievable,” he said.
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