N180 Billion Palliative Package: Kwara, Osun, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Gombe, Commence Distribution Of Items

No fewer than six states have commenced the distribution of the Federal Government’s palliatives package to the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

 

Recall that the federal government on Thursday announced the release of an N180 billion palliative package to states to cushion the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.

Each state is expected to get N5 billion and 180 trucks of rice as part of measures to assuage the pains of the subsidy removal.

This online medium gathered that while states like Kwara, Osun, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, and Gombe, have commenced sharing of palliative items received from the federal government, others like Sokoto, Kebbi, Oyo, Katsina and Borno have disclosed plans on how to go about the distribution of items to residents, and other states still awaits the delivery of the palliative items.

However, this platform understands that confusion has been recorded in the distribution of the palliative items in some states, as some residents reportedly angrily left venues of distribution.

Some residents of Adewole Ward in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State were seen in a viral video on social media walking away from the venue of the distribution of foodstuffs in the Agunbelewo area.

Some residents of some wards in the state were not also happy over the allegedly insignificant quantity of rice they received.

They complained that the entire Agunbelewo was allocated six measures of rice, which is about one and a half painted plastic containers out of the eight bags allocated to the Adewole Ward, where the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, comes from.

One Mallam Yinusa Magaji, who identified himself as a leader in the area, said all the residents of the Agunbelewo area were given six measures of rice to share.

He said, “We received six measures of rice out of one bag allocated to three areas of Agunbelewo, Gaa Odota and Adewole Housing Estate in the Adewole Ward.

 

“We want the government to challenge us if they give us more than six measures contained in this bag.”

Meanwhile, the state government Kwara State government confirmed on Friday that it received two truckloads of rice comprising 1,200 bags from the Federal Government on Tuesday, August 8.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said at a press conference that another three truckloads of rice or 1,800 bags had arrived in the state and would be shared with the people by the committee set up to distribute the palliatives.

Ajakaye said that the committee chaired by the state Commissioner of Police, Mrs Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, comprised traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, security agencies and community leaders.

He said that the committee would generate the list of those who would benefit from the palliatives, adding that the composition cuts across all strata of society, including people with disabilities.

The government also confirmed receipt of N2 billion out of the N5 billion relief fund that the Federal Government released for the purchase of rice to be distributed en masse to vulnerable members of the public.

The state also said it awaits a balance of N2 billion of the fund as well as N1bn worth of maize (40,000 bags), which the Central Bank of Nigeria is selling to each state from the national strategic reserve.