Palliative: Ogun receives 3,000 bags rice from FG, to consider aged, physically challenged, women

By Ifedayo Adeniyi

Ogun State government says it has taken delivery of 3,000 bags of palliative rice from the federal government in fulfillment of its plan to distribute grains to mitigate the effect of the subsidy removal policy on vulnerable Nigerians in their respective states.

Secretary to the State Government , Mr Tokunbo Talabi, who confirmed the delivery to newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital,

revealed that the re-bagging of the grains into smaller bags is ongoing ahead of distribution.

Talabi also affirmed that the State government has received from the federal government part of the money planned for the procurements of grains to be distributed to residents by each state.

According to him, the State government is procuring more grains to complement the one given by the federal government for a wider reach of the residents, noting that special considerations will be given to the aged, physically challenged persons, women among others in the distribution of the commodities.

He informed that the State government had already set up a committee of highly credible persons on the distribution of the palliatives.

“Part of what we are also looking at, is that there is a big cry by the livestock feeds millers for maize. We are getting maize as well from the federal government’s stock and we are also making some procurements by ourselves so that a lot of the millers as well as poultry farmers and those into livestock rearing business have something immediately for feeds. So not only are we considering human consumption but we are also inducing the production of dairies and livestock and these essentially are what we are doing on the committee responsible for the distribution of the palliatives”, he explained

The State Scribe who assured that the distribution would have nothing to do with political or religious affiliations, said only the aged, physically challenged persons and women would be given special consideration.

Talabi informed that the mandate of the governor to the committee was to come up with credible plans and strategies for a very wide reach of the people in the distribution, noting that part of the strategy to set the state on the path of economic recovery was to procure the needed grains locally from people who could sell to the government.