Sanwo Olu Tells Lagosian, Don’t Panic Over Food Supply Blockade

 The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, on Monday said the state was not feeling any effect of food shortage.

He noted that the government had also not been officially informed of any decision to withdraw supplies to the state.

According to him, trailers of foodstuffs have been coming from other parts of the country into the state through the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Omotosho urged residents not to panic, adding that the state was also making efforts to attain self-sufficiency in food production.

He said, “We have not been told officially that some people in the North are withdrawing food supplies to the South-West or Lagos.

And you know that Lagos is consuming no less than 50 per cent of what is being produced in other parts of the country.

“However, Lagos is preparing for the future. Very soon, we will be inaugurating the Imota Rice Mill, which will be the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. All our agric programmes are tailored towards food self-sufficiency in the future.

“Farmers are being encouraged; we give them land to farm and we are also acquiring land in other states to farm so that our programmes in farming will not be starved of materials.

“Our fishing programme very soon will be on. Lagos has one of the best coastal beds in the world. In our waters, we have all kinds of fish that will be canned in the future. The future of agric in Lagos is great and the government is encouraging young people to go into it. So, there is no need for anybody to panic over what anybody may have seen as some people saying they will not supply food. I have not seen anything official on that. If there is anything like a shortage, I have not seen the effect and I hope we will not see it.”