A bill seeking to establish a specialised bank to ensure food security in Nigeria, avail youth the opportunity to secure loan(s) through the bank using their certificates as collateral, as well as encourage youth to engage in agriculture, has scaled first reading at the Senate.
The bill titled: “National Food Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill 2021 SB(780)” is sponsored by Abia North Senator and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
Apart from attaining food stability, the bill, according its sponsor, also aims to reduce the number of unemployed youth in the country and also encourage youth empowerment in the country.
The short title of the bill was read in Senate plenary on Wednesday by the Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, and subsequently referred for second reading.
The food bank concept focuses on tackling hunger, reducing food waste and solving the problem of malnutrition through targeted programmes that seek to improve the availability of food to different categories of persons.