Nigerians React As Tinubu’s Administration Splurged ₦9.74 Billion On Rice And Beans Palliatives In 2024

The administration of President Bola Tinubu reportedly spent ₦9.74 billion in 2024 on procuring and distributing food items to address Nigeria’s food crisis.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

This was revealed by BudgIT, a civic-tech organization advocating for transparency and accountability in government spending, through its GovSpend platform.

The report noted that a large portion of the funds was allocated to essential staples like rice, beans, maize, and other commodities. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security led the initiative, working with contractors to distribute palliative food supplies across federal constituencies nationwide.

The distribution efforts targeted vulnerable communities and included staples like rice, beans, and garri. Payments averaging ₦85,454,545.46 were reportedly made per constituency between February and November 2024, covering states such as Kano, Ogun, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Adamawa, Kaduna, Jigawa, Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Bauchi, Rivers, Borno, Sokoto, and Enugu.

BudgIT’s findings confirmed that the total expenditure for the initiative amounted to ₦9.74 billion.

Meanwhile, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South in the National Assembly, has proposed that the federal government introduce food vouchers as a more effective strategy to combat hunger and hardship in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, DC—attended by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Olayemi Cardoso and Finance Minister Wale Edun—Senator Ibrahim emphasized the need for policy harmonization between the CBN and the Ministry of Finance. He suggested that food vouchers could directly benefit around 20 million Nigerians, help reduce inflation, and stabilize the naira.