COVID-19: Federal Government Approves Release Of 70,000MT Of Grains

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the release of 70,000 metric tonnes of grains to Nigerians affected by the restrictive measures put in place by the federal government to contain Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

The presidency announced the release in a tweet on Wednesday.

Apr 1, 2020
“President @MBuhari has approved the release of 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Grains from Nigeria’s National Strategic Grain Reserves, for distribution to poor and vulnerable persons in frontline #COVID19 States, as well as persons whose livelihoods will be affected by the Lockdowns,” said the presidency.

President Buhari had in his nationwide broadcast on Sunday ordered that Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun, which jointly account for the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, be locked down while efforts are made to “identify, trace and isolate all individuals that have come into contact with confirmed cases.”

President @MBuhari has approved the release of 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Grains from Nigeria’s National Strategic Grain Reserves, for distribution to poor and vulnerable persons in frontline #COVID19 States, as well as persons whose livelihoods will be affected by the Lockdowns.

— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) April 1, 2020

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, who also confirmed this this earlier today announced the adoption of a document of implementation guide and protocols for the COVID-19 lockdown policy.

Mustapha, who revealed that the initial reports on public compliance to restriction order where applicable, also announced that President Buhari had granted partial exemption for operators of the upstream subsector of the nation’s oil and gas sector and operations at the Port Harcourt and other ports in Rivers State.

Explaining the presidential approval for the release of grains to Nigerians, Mustapha said it was part of plans to ensure some level of comfort for people across the country, especially in areas where the restriction order is strictest, adding that the first tranche would go to Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States.