Delta State Government received 19,500 bags of 50 kilograms of maize and 4,700 bags of 25 kilograms of garri from the Federal government on Wednesday.
These food items are intended to alleviate the effects of the current economic downturn caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.
The Secretary to State Government, Dr Kingsley Emu who received the items on behalf of the State Government, thanked President Tinubu for the bold step and promised to deliver it to the vulnerable groups.
The items, according to Nigerian Tribune, is 5000 bags more for maize while the expected 23,996 25kg bags of rice were not included in the delivery.
Dr. Emu had previously mentioned that the food items would be distributed to vulnerable individuals, including the elderly, widows, indigents, physically challenged individuals, and farmers.
He said however that the items received were not enough to take care of the identified beneficiaries, stressing that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has taken proactive steps to ameliorate the plight of Deltans since the fuel subsidy was removed by Mr President on May 29, 2023.
He said over N5.6billion was paid to clear promotion arrears owed civil servants, over 2,000 teaching and non-teaching staff were employed in schools, capacity development was organised for different cadres of workers in the state civil service, N1 billion for artisans and many other proactive steps.
”We paid in excess of N5.65 Billion to our esteemed civil servants as promotion arrears and recruited over 2,000 workers in our local government Areas.
”We are also looking at short courses for our artisans like barbers, bricklayers, plumbers; these are all drawn from the 25 Local Government Areas. This is to strengthen them with their working capitals because we do know that we have a hostile operating environment in the country”.
On the sharing of the palliative, Dr Emu who is the chairman of the palliative committee, assured that the food items would get to the benefiting individuals and groups.
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”We have zero tolerance for manipulation. In one particular local government where a Councillor decided to work on his own, he was penalised. He was brought before the governor and was made to pay back those bags of rice, even though he shared it.
”We as a committee have zero tolerance for manipulation. So we want to assure you that we will do our very best. Tell the DG when you go back that you saw a good template in Delta State, if possible, you can come and copy it”.
The Change Makers Forum, a non-governmental organization in the state, has expressed surprise at the past distribution of palliatives to the people.
According to the Coordinator of the group, Comrade Feyisetan Akeeb Hakeem, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune in Ogwashi Uku, Aniocha South council area of the state: “We hope the vulnerable persons will benefit this time around because the distribution of palliatives in the first instance in the area was like a mystery, as numerous persons that we consulted in the sixteen communities were oblivious of the package.
“On the other hand, we are wondering maybe it is only card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party that the palliatives are meant because what the FG said was that it should be given to the masses.
“We see it on news in other States how the palliatives were distributed to the people but nothing like that is happening here which makes us begin to wonder whether Delta State was amongst the States palliatives were given to,” Kareem said.
