News Investigators/ The Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, John Uwajumogu, says food security is national security, pledging to make bread affordable through local wheat production.
Mr Uwajumogu said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inauguration of Project WHEAT-NESS, the Wheat-Based Consumer Foods Value Chain Optimisation and Cost Competitiveness Programme.
He said wheat’s reach from bread to meat pies, made it a strong economic multiplier, adding that every naira invested traveled to farmers, millers, bakers, transporters and traders.
According to him, Nigeria imports most of its wheat and households feel the cost at the bakery whenever global supply chains are disrupted.
He said northern farmers had shown that yields rose sharply with the right seed and support, adding that Project WHEAT-NESS would close the integration gap.
He pledged to ensure coordination across trade, agriculture, industry and finance; capital through development finance institutions; lower energy, storage and logistics costs; and results tracking.
The special adviser said the government would track wheat output, price of a standard loaf and jobs created and report back to stakeholders.
He added that affordable finance, steady power and good inputs could help neighbourhood bakeries grow, with young people and women the biggest beneficiaries.
Also speaking, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the initiative would link agriculture, manufacturing, finance and distribution to reduce avoidable imports.
Mr Oyedele represented by the Director, Economy, Research and Policy Management, Mr Abubakar Othman, cited National Bureau of Statistics figures which showed that real GDP grew 4.43 per cent year-on-year in Q2 2026, while manufacturing grew 3.24 per cent.
“The USDA’s October 2026 update estimates 2026/2027 wheat imports at 5.6 million metric tonnes, against domestic output of about 120,000 tonnes, down by eight per cent.
“Milling capacity is estimated at about eight million tonnes, which shows a wide gap between local production and industrial needs,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the aim was building dependable local supply, and not cutting imports without a viable local alternative.
He said about 70 per cent of wheat flour produced in Nigeria went into bread, adding that lasting affordability required higher productivity, efficient supply chains and stronger competition.
He listed monitoring indicators to include yield, import share of industrial demand, production costs, private investment mobilised, and jobs created.
NAN
