Covid-19: FG announces success in supply of essential items across Nigeria

The Federal Government announced that it recorded tremendous success in the supply of essential commodities nationwide despite the restriction of movement as parts of measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic across Nigeria.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend shortly after receiving briefs from the Manager, Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), Mr Battah Ndirpaya.

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Earlier, the ministry had established the centre to monitor real-time status of transportation and delivery of essential goods to cut down difficulties faced by manufacturers, transporters, and distributors of essential commodities nationwide due to COVID-19.

The minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani- Gwarzo, said the Committee on Sustainable Production and Delivery of Essential Commod­ities During COVID-19 pandem­ic through the centre, received and resolved a total of 32 cases of complaints.

He said the com­plaints are on challenges being faced on the effective supply and delivery of essential commod­ities due to the COVID-19 pan­demic across the country.

Adebayo noted that out of the 32 cases received and re­solved, 26.7 per cent involved de­livery of food items, 40 per cent concerned availability and de­livery of other essential items, while 33.3 per cent concerned manufacturing related cases.

According to the minister, out of the 32 incidences received and resolved by the EOC, 27 per cent involved delivery of food items, 40 per cent involved es­sential items, while 33 per cent involved logistics and manufac­turing items.

“A breakdown of the cases by geo-political zones reveals that 27 per cent are from the North-Central, 24 per cent from the South- East, 31 per cent from the South-West while 17 per cent are from the South-South region.

The summary of cases received and resolved by geo-po­litical zones are as follows; North-West, 13.7 per cent of the cases pertain to the delivery of essential items, while 10.3 per cent cases in South East are manufacturing cases.

“6.8 per cent cases in the South West involve the delivery of food items; delivery of essential items record 10.3 per cent while manufacturing cases record 10.3 per cent.

“Delivery of food items in South-South records 6.8 per cent, delivery of essential items, 10.3 per cent while 3.4 per cent of the cases in that Zone are manufacturing cases”, Adebayo said.

Speaking further, he disclosed that the summary of logistics associated cases received and resolved by category recorded 6.8 per cent in the North-Central, adding that Market Intelligence cases recorded 13.7 per cent while manufacturing and retail cas­es recorded 3.4 per cent respectively.

 “13.7 per cent of the cases recorded in the South East are logistics related while 10.3 per cent of the cases are in manufacturing; 24.1 per cent cases in the South West are logistics while 6.8 per cent are manufacturing related.

“10.3 per cent of cases recorded from the South-South are logistics, 3.4 per cent are in manufacturing while another 3.4 per cent are Market Intelligence cases,” he explained.