The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria TUC, has called on the Nigerian Government to sustain food imports, strengthen security and urgently address exchange-rate pressures. TUC President, Comrade Festus Osifo, made the call during a State of the nation a press briefing in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, saying food imports should continue until insecurity is sufficiently addressed to allow farmers to return safely to their farms and increase domestic food production. Osifo said the union supports government’s food-importation policy “because it had helped reduce the prices of staple commodities”, warning that ending imports before resolving supply constraints could trigger another surge in food prices. “This food importation could be stopped only and only if farmers could go back to farm,” Osifo said, urging the government to sustain the policy while tackling insecurity. He also called for greater use of technology and modern equipment in tackling insecurity, describing national security as a prerequisite for sustainable economic development.