Tinubu Directs FEC to Tackle Transport Issues and Lower Food Prices

Tinubu Orders FEC to Clear Transport Bottlenecks and Tackle Soaring Food Prices

Tinubu orders FEC committee to remove transport bottlenecks raising food prices. Soil health and cooperative reforms promised to boost supply and lower costs.

Atlantic Post

September 11, 2025

5–7 minutes

Agriculture, Cooperative Reform, Food Prices, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Inflation, Nigeria, Soil Health, Tinubu, Transport

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a Federal Executive Council committee. He wants them to remove transport bottlenecks. He says these are inflating the price of food across Nigeria.

The directive was disclosed by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi. It was given at a capacity-building workshop for Senate correspondents in Abuja.

This move is part of a broader push for food sovereignty. The announcement carries urgency. Nigerians are paying the price in markets across the country.

This investigation finds the presidential order is necessary but insufficient. The causes of runaway food costs are structural, overlapping and political.

They include post‑subsidy transport price shocks, persistent insecurity on major highways, failing rail freight capacity and weak rural productivity.

Unless these threads are addressed together, the FEC committee risks producing more noise than change.

The Numbers That Bite

Inflation remains stubborn. Official data show headline inflation eased marginally in mid‑2025. But, food price inflation remains painfully high. This erodes household purchasing power and pushes millions toward food insecurity.

Recent international and national assessments warn that more than 30 million Nigerians face high levels of food insecurity.

This is expected in the coming lean seasons. These figures are not abstractions. They are the tally of empty bowls in towns from Maiduguri to Lagos.

What the Presidency Promised

Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi told correspondents the President demanded a matching Federal Executive Council response. This response is needed to guarantee the safe passage of agricultural produce. It will also reduce logistics costs.

He also announced a planned Farmer Soil Health Scheme and reforms to cooperatives to mobilise resources for smallholders.

The measures, if well designed, tackle both supply and resilience. But experience suggests design and implementation will decide success.

Voices From The Road and The Market

The cost of moving maize and tomatoes from northern farms to Lagos rose sharply. A Lagos wholesale trader, who asked not to be named, reported this to the reporter.

This happened after the end of petrol subsidies. Transporters passed every extra naira to the buyer. A driver with a Kano haulage company described convoying produce through parts of the north as a near‑military operation.

“We travel in groups. We pay informal levies. Often, we lose a day waiting to pass a checkpoint,” he said.

A Kaduna food vendor, Mrs. Halima Yusuf, spoke of supply unpredictability. “Sometimes the truck does not come. Prices go up, and customers can’t afford their normal food,” she said.

Those interruptions translate into higher retail prices for staples and greater volatility for households living on small margins.

Security analysts say the problem is not only criminality but also the hollowing out of logistics by chronic insecurity. Banditry, kidnappings and attacks on convoys have forced farmers off fields in several northern states and made routes unreliable.

That has a multiplier effect. When supply falls, prices rise; when prices rise, food insecurity deepens.

Why Transport Policy Alone Won’t Be Enough

Transport is one pillar. But rail freight, which can shift bulk cereals far more cheaply than road, remains underused and underfunded. Investment pledges must be matched by maintenance and effective management.

The removal of petrol subsidies in recent years tightened public finances. Still, it had the immediate effect of pushing transport costs upward. Policy choices have distributional consequences that must be mitigated.

Meanwhile, crop yields stay constrained by soil degradation and low fertiliser access. The announced Soil Health Scheme will raise yields.

It needs to offer rapid, localised soil testing. It should also include subsidised inputs that are well‑targeted and robust extension services. Past programmes have failed where procurement, distribution and monitoring were opaque.

Timeline of Affected Corridors

North‑South Lagos–Kano (A1 corridor): Frequent long‑distance haulage of cereals and pulses. Susceptible to fuel price shocks and episodic insecurity outside urban centres.
Abuja–Kaduna–Kano corridor: Vital for moving grains from the north to central markets; affected by banditry and checkpoints.
Benin–Onitsha–Enugu axis: Key for transporting vegetables and tubers from southeast and south‑east farms to major markets. Road quality and seasonal flooding interrupt flows.
Port Harcourt–Enugu–Abuja corridor: Important for moving perishables and fertiliser; inland logistics often constrained by poor feeder roads.
Maiduguri and North‑East supply routes: Heavily affected by insurgency and displacement, reducing harvests and market supply.

Each corridor requires a joint security plan. It also needs a road maintenance and modal‑shift plan. These plans help to reduce unit transport costs. They also tackle risk premia added by insecurity.

What To Watch For: Accountability Indicators

Public Roadmap from the FEC Committee. The committee must publish a time‑bound plan naming agencies, budget lines and milestones.
Security‑Logistics Integration. Are states and the military coordinating protective measures for convoys without creating rent‑seeking checkpoints?
Rail Freight Targets and Funding. Will the government fund rail maintenance and offer incentives for bulk grain movements?
Soil Health Scheme Pilot Data. Independent monitoring, measurable yield targets and an open portal for results will be essential.
Cooperative Reform Outcomes. Are cooperatives receiving audited support and clear guidelines for resource mobilisation?

Conclusion — The Politics of Hunger

President Tinubu’s directive is a necessary political signal. It acknowledges food prices as an emergency that cuts across ministries. But signals are not solutions. Nigeria needs co‑ordinated policy across security, transport, agriculture and fiscal management.

Without transparent timelines, there is a risk that the FEC committee’s work will be reduced to press releases. Independent monitoring is essential to avoid mere public relations.

If the presidency wants to be judged by results, it must publish a clear action plan. It needs to fund durable logistics and rail solutions. It should also move quickly to pilot the Soil Health Scheme with independent verification.

Otherwise the rhetoric of food sovereignty will stay a slogan while ordinary Nigerians continue to pay more at the market.

Reader Engagement Questions

Do you believe securing major highways will be enough to bring down food prices, or must government tackle production and storage first?
Which supply corridor should the FEC committee prioritise and why?
Have you or your community been directly affected by convoy disruptions, informal levies or road insecurity when transporting food?
What specific actions should the FEC committee publish first to show it means business?
Would you trust cooperatives to manage resources for smallholders or prefer private sector partnerships?
How should the Soil Health Scheme be monitored so that benefits reach smallholder farmers quickly and transparently?
What immediate steps can citizens and consumer groups take to hold authorities accountable for food affordability?