The Federal Government has announced that only individuals with National Identification Numbers (NIN) will be eligible to purchase from the sale of 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice at a subsidized rate of ₦40,000 per 50kg bag.
During the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, stated that the rice will be distributed on a “one person, one bag” basis.
Kyari emphasized that this initiative is part of the government’s effort to address the ongoing food crisis in Nigeria by offering affordable rice to the public.
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“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 high cost of food commodities, kindly join me in applauding the immense efforts of the present administration such as the release of 42,000MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000MT of milled rice which is being flagged-off for sales to Nigerians today September 5, 2024,” he stated.
Regarding buyer verification, Kyari detailed that a multi-disciplinary government task force has been established to ensure transparency, wide distribution, and the overall success of the initiative.
He highlighted that the process aims to prevent individuals from acquiring more than one 50kg bag of rice.
Beneficiaries will be verified using methods such as the NIN and phone numbers to deter fraud and ensure that all citizens have fair access.
“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 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT 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.
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Discussing the purchasing process for the rice, Haruna Sule, Director of Strategic Grains Reserve at the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that civil servants can obtain the rice at designated points of sale by presenting their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) 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 explained that after a buyer provides the code number, a treasury receipt will be issued as proof of payment to the government.
The buyer will then receive a receipt with details of the collection point and time.
He further clarified that the collection point is separate from the sales point, adding, “At the collection point, you present your code to our officials, and you will be handed a bag of rice.”
In July, Minister of Information Idris Mohammed announced the sale of subsidized rice. Subsequently, the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs directed civil servants to register for the purchase.
However, the government later suspended the plan without offering any explanation.
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