Co-sponsored by Senator Saliu Mustafa, from Kwara Central Senatorial District, Kwara State, the representative of Borno South Senatorial District, Borno State, Senator Ali Ndume Mohammed, has explained why he has moved a motion for the introduction of food stamps in Nigeria, as a solution to increasing price of food items.
The Distinguished Senator Ndume addressed senate correspondents shortly after moving the motion on the floor of the senate on Tuesday and our Chief Correspondent, ABBANOBI -EKU ONYEKACHI was there. Excerpts.
Qtn: Distinguished Senator Ndume Mohammed Ali, having moved a motion for the introduction of food stamps in Nigeria, can you explain it in details?
Ans: Gentlemen of the press, I wish you happy new year, as this is the first time we are meeting this year. This motion you saw today isn’t new to some of you, because at its first attempt when you saw it on Order Paper, I saw you people going through it. However, it is only today that we were able to take the motion. The motion is very simple, because it is due to a peculiar situation Nigerians find themselves toady and also because of inefficiency measures taken against situations like this, I felt that the government should introduce food stamps as an interim measure to address eminent food insecurity in this country.
As you are aware, the organized labour was at the National Assembly and they weren’t talking about any other matter different from what we are talking now. That is why I came up with this motion, hoping that the government will embrace it.
Qtn: In which country has this food stamps done with success?
Ans: America which we all know that is the richest or the most developed country in the world started it in 1939. And it is still in existence today; only few years back, I think during the time of Trump that they changed it to what they call Supplement Nutritious Assistance Program (SNAP). If you google it, you will see how it is done in America and it is more practicable than giving money. We have tested the system of giving cash during the time of Buhari and it didn’t work, because it encouraged massive corruption. I have never liked the cash system, because during the time of Buhari, it was enmeshed with massive corruption.
As it is now, giving cash to people, I don’t know how that one can work, because, you can’t continu, if you say you have data bank and you continue to send the money and you don’t see people acknowledging the money. But if it is food stamps, that is normally given to you to either go and buy Garri, Rice, Semovita, or whatever and you go to a designated point, in return you are given the food. In that way, there is some kind of control and it will ensure that it gets to the needy.
Qtn: It is one thing to come up with a programme of this nature and another to achieve the aims and objectives, how can it reach to the poor masses?
Ans: Like in the civil service, for example, you can cut it from level seven downward, you give them food stamps in line with their needs. There are low income earners, you can use your NIN, BVN to register and you go to a particular place to register in your own ward, collect your food stamps for food and further control can be put in place, for instance, if you are given for one month, you must use it. And if the month lapses, that is it.
Qtn: Having come up with this, can you speak on people’s reactions to this, so far?
Ans: Yes, there are many experts who have been calling me, saying that they are willing to volunteer to give advice on how to implement it and I hope that the government will listen. This cash transfer system, I am not in support of, because it will not bring solution to our problems.
If you go to the market today, there is food everywhere, but what isn’t there is the purchasing power, but if you give workers and the masses food stamps, they will only go and collect food and that is what they need for now. This measure can be reviewed from time to time. And you know that no Nigerian would like to live on food stamps, if he has the capacity, and gradually it will level itself. But if it is money, everyone will go for it.
That is why people will always be collecting money, especially if it is an alert; nobody will know that they are benefitting from the cash transfer. But if it is cash transfer, some people will go and name their dogs, fowls, among others, create data for them, so as to be collecting cash through them, but if it is food, you must go and collect it.
I wish that this can be implemented, because it will go a long way. In places like Canada, they give you meal ticket and in the UK, they give tickets to less privileged ones to eat in the hotels, but not such a big hotels. As you know, this government wants to commit about N12 billion to tackle the hunger in the country and that is one thing about Mr President, he is very responsive, especially if people cry for hunger, he will be running round to find a way out of it.
Qtn: About N25 billion was budgeted to check food insecurity without positive results, and may be this worked out in other countries, don’t you think that this will be food for thieves?
Ans: The problem we have in this country is perceivism about inefficiency, especially those of you from the media. We should be optimistic and if an idea is good, then we follow it. If you can identify the thieves, the better, so that we shall not be giving the money or the food to them. and if you know them you identify them. My brother, we should be moving forward.
Look! We should be positive in doing things. This thing started in the US in 1939 and other countries are still doing similar things. You are expected to report this positively, because I believe in optimism. For this to be effective, I expect you to come up with a suggestion on how to make it efficient, not to be talking of some people stealing the money.
Qtn: How are we sure that what happened during the time of palliatives won’t repete itself in this food stamps?
Ans: This doesn’t relate to the measures taken during the palliatives. They don’t relate at all. I objected to the measures used during the COVID – 19, because it was another method that can easily be fraudulently abused. People heard about COVID – 19 money without seeing them; may be those who saw the money were those who were close to the place where the money was coming from. And as I said, we are not talking about money, but about food.
You talk about opening the borders, I don’t support that, because it isn’t our problem for now. And I am not against closing the borders, because ECOWAS heads of states have said that the economic sanctions against Burkina Faso, Niger and others should be lifted. The issue isn’t scarcity of food, but its price, making it difficult for people to access a bag of rice, which your salary could buy more than a bag before. The way to go is food stamps as an interim measure. If there is general security, there will be food security and if there isn’t, there will be no food security. Of there is general security, there will be food security and the farmers will go back to farms and there will abundant harvest and when there is harvest in abundance, the demand and supply will determine the price of food items. So the food stamps is the way to go for the interim in Nigeria.
