The Federal Government has stated that only customers with National Identification Numbers will benefit as it begins selling 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice to Nigerians at a reduced rate of N40,000 per 50 kg bag.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari, indicated at Thursday’s flag-off event that the rice intervention will be offered exclusively on a “one person, one bag” basis.
Kyari added that the 50kg bags of rice, priced at ₦40,000, are part of the Federal Government’s initiative to supply discounted milled rice to ease the present food crisis in Nigeria.
“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation.
“As one of the numerous efforts of the present administration to cushion the effect of the high cost of food commodities, kindly join me in applauding the immense efforts of the present administration, such as the release of 42,000 MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000 MT of milled rice that is being flagged off for sales to Nigerians today, September 5, 2024,” he stated.
Regarding buyer verification, Kyari stated that a multidisciplinary government task team has been formed to assure transparency, broad distribution, and overall success of the effort.
He emphasised that the process is intended to prevent individuals from obtaining more than one 50-kg bag of rice and that beneficiaries will be verified using identification methods such as the NIN and phone numbers to prevent fraudulent individuals from accessing multiple bags at the expense of other citizens.
“In view of the above, I urge our dear citizens to cooperate with the relevant agencies of government who will try to serve you to achieve this great initiative of government.
“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000 MT (1000 trucks of 30 MT each) of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives,” he said.
Speaking about the process for Nigerians to purchase rice, Haruna Sule, Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, explained that civil servants can access the grains at designated points of sale using their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System details.
“To qualify for the one person, one bag, you must have a National Identification Number; of course, you have phone numbers, and those in public service are all registered under the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platform,” he said.
“Once you have any of these three, at the point of sale, with the NIN logged into the system, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that, the buyer can get to the collection centre and pick up his bag. The receipt will indicate the time and point of collection to eliminate stampede,” he added.
Sule added that once the buyer enters the code number, a Treasury receipt would be provided as confirmation of payment to the government, and the buyer will also receive a receipt confirming the pickup point and time.
He further stressed that the collecting point is distinct from the sales point, saying, “At the collection point, you present your code to our officials, and you will be handed a bag of rice.”
In July, Idris Mohammed, Minister of Information, announced the sale of subsidised rice.
Following that, the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, through its Human Resources Management Department, directed government servants to register to purchase the food item.
However, the government then suspended the plan without providing a reason for its decision.
