Abuja Archbishop Urges Nigerian Governors Not to Divert N180bn Palliatives

Catholic Archibishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has pleaded with the various states to ensure that such financial assistance reached the intended populace.

While delivering his Homily during the Church service at the Holy Trinity, Maitama in Abuja, on Sunday, Kaigama said:
“When I heard the news that N5 billion has been allocated by the federal government to each state as palliatives to cushion the effect of the economic “wahala,” my immediate reaction was whether this will reach the people that need it.

“We have heard in the past where to recruit idle youth, some influential persons would fix the names of the children who are still in primary school; the attempt to feed school children collapsed, etc.
“I worry if this well-intended palliative will not be used up by political leaders to recoup part of what they spent during elections or to settle their political acolytes.”

 Meanwhile, Niger State Governor Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, has told Nigerians not to depend on palliatives for survival, stressing that it was not sustainable.
The federal and some state governments recently gave some palliatives including truckloads of rice maize and other grains to be distributed to the people to cushion the effect of the removal of subsidy from petrol.

Bago speaking during the distribution of fertilizer and other items to farmers in the 25 local government areas of the state warned that it was not sustainable.
The governor therefore asked Nigerians to seek for alternative means of addressing the current economic hardship for their survival.
 “I want to use this medium to thank President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for coming to the aid of vulnerable Nigerians but we must be honest with ourselves, the palliatives cannot be sustained, we have to go back to the farm to inflate our economy

“In Niger State, we are poised to make agriculture the focus of our administration in addressing poverty and food insecurity,” the governor declared, adding that to achieve the goal his government would cultivate 10, 000 hectares of land in each of the 25 local government areas of the state next cropping season.

We are planning to cultivate 250 hectares of land in the next cropping season with each local government cultivating crops they have comparative advantage
“I want all the local government council officials to take this as a marching order as we make available 78 metrics tons of fertilizers and other farm inputs “
Bago restated that to ensure farmers are safe on their farms, his government would negotiate with bandits who have made farming not attractive in many parts of the state, saying, “we want to discuss with these people (bandits) and see how the carnage in our state will be brought under control to enable us achieve our agricultural goals and also empower our people and ensure food security.”

Bago challenged the youths who form a large percentage of the population to key into the agricultural policies of his administration as a means to make them gainfully employed.

Relatedly, a group, Marine Crafts Builders Association (MCBA) has advised the federal government that in distributing the approved palliatives to various states to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, it should consider Nigerians living in riverine communities across the country.
The group said over 50 million Nigerians are living in the riverine areas and need government assistance to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal which they said had led to the increase in the current hardship experienced in the country.

Speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt, at the weekend, Director General of the group, Mr. Clem Ifezue, alongside the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Mr. Frank Orhenere, Kelly Ekeremor and Solomon Beleme, told the federal government to also provide boats for the coastal communities just as it has recently announced 3000 buses for easy for Nigerians.

They informed the government of their capacity to take on any challenge from government in the production of numbers of boats needed for effective operations on the waterways.

Ifezue, who led the group, said the stretch of waterways in Nigeria was over 10,000 kilometers with over 50 million Nigerians occupying the area with over 300 million economic activities on daily basis.

The Director General said the MCBA has the capacity and has been producing boats for several years to serve the needs of the country’s military and paramilitary authorities.

Ifezue however, assured government that the group has the capacity to produce any quantity of boats that it might want to use in alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians, particularly those in the riverine communities.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Laleye Dipo in Minna and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

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