Governor Buni takes moves to tackle bulk purchase of grains, hoarding, others

The Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni has taken steps to tackle the bulk purchase of grains from markets within the state to other places, and the hoarding of food items in the state. 

The Governor who presided over an emergency meeting on food security in the state expressed concern over the issue which was creating an artificial scarcity of commodities, and increasing hardship in the state.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting noted that the state government was liaising with security agencies to check the activities of unpatriotic smugglers mopping up grains in the markets.

It added that measures would be taken to cushion the effects of the rising cost of food items and other commodities in the market.

The communique further directed for similar stakeholder meetings in the 17 Local Government Areas of the state to ensure the implementation of the decisions taken by the state government. 

The communique signed by Abdullahi Bego, the State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture partly reads: "Concerned with the prevailing rise in the prices of grains and other essential commodities across the state and the country, His Excellency the Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON (Chiroman Gujba) convened an emergency meeting to deliberate on the issue today Saturday 10th February 2024.

"The state government notes and decries the practice of hoarding grains and other essential commodities in the state with a view to creating artificial scarcity and hiking the prices of such grains and other essential commodities.

"The meeting deliberated extensively on the prevailing cost of living crisis across the state and the country and came up with the following measures:

"1. To stem the tide of food scarcity and high cost of grains and other food items resulting from bulk purchases from Yobe's grain markets by people who take those grains outside our nation's borders, the State Government has liaised with security agencies to discourage practices.

"2. The State Government has also taken measures to stop the hoarding of grains and other essential commodities by businessmen and middlemen. To this end, bulk purchase of grains from Yobe's markets will be closely monitored by security agencies to prevent and stop hoarding. 

"The purchase and transportation of large quantities of grains outside the state will be similarly monitored to ensure that speculators and hoarders do not take advantage of Yobe's markets to cause artificial scarcity and deepen food insecurity in the country.

"3. The Yobe State Government will roll out concrete measures very soon to cushion the effects of the rising cost of foodstuff and other essential commodities for people across the state.

"4. A broad meeting of stakeholders will be similarly convened immediately in each local government area to further discuss the food security situation in the respective local government councils in order to generate workable ideas for how to address the challenges.

"5. His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni calls on people across the state to continue to offer prayers and supplications for Almighty Allah's intervention on the current challenges in the country."