The Federal Government on Thursday in Abeokuta began the sale of rice at a subsidised rate in Ogun.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, while speaking during a ceremony to signify the commencement, said it was “one of the numerous programmes initiated to bring succour and relief to Nigerians”.

Kyari, who was represented by Mrs Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, the ministry’s State Director, explained that the distribution was being monitored by several Federal Government agencies to ensure transparency, fairness and adequate security.

The Minister stated that the government had put measures in place to ensure that the rice got to the intended beneficiaries.

He said all that was needed was an individual’s National Identification Number (NIN) and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card to buy 50kg of rice at N40,000.

“However, I want to specifically applaud Gov. Dapo Abiodun for his commitment to the welfare of the citizens of the state.

“Ogun is one of the first set of states in Nigeria to enjoy the benefit and this can be attributed to the governor’s tenacity and visionary leadership.

“Ogun has one of the most organised templates ensuring that this gets to the three Senatorial districts of the state and all at the grassroots,” he said.

Kyari urged citizens of the state to support the government to make sure that all the efforts by different levels of government were appreciated.

In his address, Gov. Abiodun noted that President Bola Tinubu’s initiative testified to his commitment to ensuring he tackled the issue of food inflation and also improved the people’s livelihood.

He expressed his appreciation of the President for his unwavering dedication to supporting the agricultural sector and ensuring food security for citizens.

“This is especially in the light of the present economic realities facing the nation.

“Government has shown responsiveness, thoughtfulness.

“This is appreciated and welcomed, particularly following the removal of petroleum subsidy, as this will go a long way in cushioning the impact of the subsidy removal,” the governor said.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the federal government to revert petrol prices to their June 2023 rates.

The union’s call follows a recent increase in fuel prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

Before President Bola Tinubu’s removal of the petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, the product was priced between N195 and N238 per litre across the country.

However, the latest adjustments have seen petrol prices soar to N998 per litre in Lagos and N1,003 per litre in Abuja.

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) attributed the price hike to the challenges of importing the product.

This increase has attracted criticism, with the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) warning that it will exacerbate inflation.

At a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, TUC President Festus Osifo urged the government to intervene by providing foreign exchange support to Dangote refinery to address the sector’s challenges.

“We want the price of the product to go below what it was before; not just reverse to what it was before but to go below,” Osifo said.

He emphasised the need for the government to offer foreign exchange to Dangote refinery at $1/N1,000 rather than the current rate of over $1/N1,600 to effectively reduce petrol prices.

“The solution we are proposing, if implemented, will take us to the price we had as of June last year,” he added.

Osifo stressed that no government in the world neglects its critical sectors and that the federal government should not leave the oil sector to the “vagaries and gyration of our naira.”

Additionally, Osifo urged the government to issue licenses to independent marketers in the country.

“We want the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to give all marketers licenses to lift petrol from the Dangote Refinery,” he said.

The TUC president noted that if the availability of petrol is compromised, it will pose a significant problem to many Nigerians.

“If, for example, the production from Dangote Refinery is less than 15 million litres per day, it is not sufficient,” Osifo said.

“So, while efforts are being made to ramp up production from Dangote Refinery, what we are demanding is that we should look for every other means as we are ramping up production.

“We should source for that difference and bring it in for a while until Dangote can get to that level where the production is sufficient to get to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

For us, that is key because it will address the issue of availability.”

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says full passenger operations on the rail mass transit red line will begin on October 15.

On February 29, President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the red line train project.

The 37-kilometre rail line facility is projected to transport passengers from Agbado, Iju, to Agege, Mushin, Oshodi, Yaba, and Ebute Meta.

The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) executed the project.

NAN reports that Abimbola Akinajo, the managing director of LAMATA, on Thursday said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, would lead his executive council members and other dignitaries on the passenger operations launch.

She added that Sanwo-Olu would ride with commuters on the first fee-paying passenger trip.

“Consequently, the schedule for the train service has been adjusted with passenger movement commencing from 6.00 am from Agbado,” Akinajo said.

“Before now, trips emanated from Oyingbo at 9.00 am. The first train therefore got to Agbado at 10.07 am.

“The adjusted timetable foreshadows upcoming commercial passenger operations commencing on October 15.”

The LAMATA boss said the new timetable resulted from data collected during a series of tests, which included non-fee-paying passengers.

She noted that the timetable prioritises trips from Agbado, where riders reside and work in Ikeja, Oshodi, and Lagos Island.

Akinajo said for passengers whose journeys end on Lagos Island, buses will be available at the Oyingbo bus terminal to help them finish their trips.