Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South, has called on the Federal Government to implement a food voucher program as a key strategy to address hunger and poverty in Nigeria.
Ibrahim made this appeal during a press conference in Washington DC, where he was joined by Olayemi Cardoso, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Finance Minister Wale Edun, and other government officials.
He emphasized the importance of stabilizing the naira and removing 20 million Nigerians from the grips of hunger and food insecurity. “It will reduce inflation because you are using vouchers as opposed to using cash,” he stated.
Describing the proposal as a “harmonious policy,” Ibrahim argued that it would enable the government to directly assist those most affected by poverty and food scarcity. He suggested that providing individuals aged 18 and above with N100,000 per month would have a more immediate and beneficial impact than other forms of government aid, such as solar power initiatives.
“Imagine you give N100,000 per month to anybody above 18 years that is really affected by food insecurity and poverty. You see every month they draw down on this in the first one year. It makes more sense than some palliatives that have to do with solar power and things like that,” he explained.
Ibrahim warned that failing to address the issues of food and hunger could lead to broader crises, urging a harmonization of economic policies between the CBN and the Ministry of Finance to facilitate the issuance of food vouchers.