Confusion and anxiety is trailing the Katsina State Government’s palliatives package to vulnerable persons across the 34 local government areas of the state, as the residents have complained of the state of the food, and the lack of the food distributed to them.
The state government, last week, commenced the distribution of palliative packages to the needy in order to cushion the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.
While some beneficiaries who spoke with THISDAY, on Tuesday, decried the inadequacy of the maize and rice distributed, others said the free grains were decayed to the extent that even animals would not be fed with.
Also, some residents who are not members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), lamented the hijack and their exclusion from the whole distribution process, while others feigned ignorance of the exercise.
One of the beneficiaries from Jibia, Abdu Kabir, expressed displeasure over the decaying nature of the maize and what he termed insignificant quantity he received from the state government.
He said, “We received five cups of rotted maize from one bag allocated to people along 15 streets in Jibia town. We want the government to challenge us if they give us more than five measures contained in this bag.
“As we speak, the maize is here but we cannot use it because it is completely rotten and full of fungi and insects. We are ready to return the grain to them because it is of no use.”
Another resident from Katsina town, Ibrahim Shehu, claimed that the palliatives were hijacked and distributed among politicians and their relatives in the local government.
He said: “The palliatives were hijacked and diverted by politicians and shared among APC members. It is only APC members that benefited from the rice and maize distributed by the state government.”
A resident of Nahuta Village in Batsari local government, Abubakar Saminu, told THISDAY in a telephone interview, that: “We have not received anything from the government. We are not even aware of the distribution.”
However, the state Chairman of ALGON, Hon. Bello Lawal-Yandaki, who addressed journalists on the issues raised by the beneficiaries, said the rotten grains in circulation were not from the state government.
He explained that the state government in collaboration with the 34 local government councils purchased 36,100 bags of quality maize and rice, using their monthly allocations from the federation account.
Lawal-Yandaki, who is also the chairman of Kaita local government, said the palliatives were distributed to citizens across the 361 wards of the state irrespective of their political and tribal differences.
He said: “We verified an online report insinuating that the grains purchased by the state and local governments are not good, but we discovered that it’s a different grain being distributed by some groups which I am not privy to.
“From what is obtainable across the 34 local government areas of the state is what we did. The government has done a meticulous job in making sure they purchase grains of high quality and distributed to citizens.”
Lawal-Yandaki, who is also the chairman of Kaita local government, assured that more palliative packages by the state government were on the pipeline to mitigate the economic hardship faced by the citizens.
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
Follow us on:
President Bola Tinubu on Friday declared that his purpose for seeking the nation's number one…
Kano state government is partnering Tony Blair Institute for Global Change to attract $23.5 million…
Nigeria's federal government has said it is currently reviewing the nation’s legal frameworks, among other…
The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Port Harcourt International Airport have been recognised…
https://cdn.veri.app/13646108-d5ec-478b-a54c-b01f60dbca29.mp4 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu On Thursday directed Vice President, Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s…
The United Sates (US) Vice President Kamala Harris has expressed her willingness to use her…
View Comments
SOME AVAILABLE TOKUNBO VEHICLES*
Golf 2,3,4 ₦400, 000₦500,000
Toyota Camry 2.2 Tiny-Light ₦550,000
Toyota Camry Big-Daddy ₦550,000
Toyota Camry Muscle ₦850,000
Toyota Camry Spider ₦950,000
Toyota Avelon ₦550,000
Toyota Avensis ₦500,000
Toyota Corolla ₦500,000
Hilux 1.5 M
Toyota Yaris ₦550,000
Toyota Matrix ₦600,000
Toyota Picnic ₦550,000
Toyota Sienna ₦850,000
TACOMA 1.8MILLION
Toyota Venza ₦1.7million
Toyota Rav4 ₦800,000
Toyota 4Runner ₦1.2million
Toyota Hiace-Bus 1,300,000
Toyota Highlander ₦1million
Toyota Land Cruiser ₦1.3million
Toyota Tundra ₦1.4million
Toyota Prado ₦1.6million
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦1650,000
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦1700,000
Mercedes-Benz G-Class ₦1800,000
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦3million
Mercedes Benz ML350 ₦1,2million
Nissan Altima ₦550,000
Nissan Armada ₦750,000
Nissan Maxima N650,000
Nissan Murano 1.3 million
Nissan Primera ₦500,000
Nissan Pathfinder ₦900,000
Honda Accord ₦600,000
Honda City ₦500,000
Honda Civic ₦550,000
Honda C-RV ₦650,000
Honda Crosstour ₦950,000
Honda Element ₦650,000
Honda Evilspirit ₦650,000
Honda Odyssey ₦670,000
Honda Pilot ₦900,000
Lexus Rx330 ₦850,000
Lexus Rx350 ₦1million
LEXUS ES350 1,300,000
ES330 1m
Lexus Rx400 ₦1.2million
Lexus Gx470 ₦1.8million
O7O 4540 6674 }
Acura TL ₦650,000
Acura MDX ₦950,000
Acura ZDX ₦850,000
Land Rover Discovery ₦1.8Million
Land Rover Freelander ₦1.6Million
Land Rover Vogue ₦3Million
Range Rover Sport. ₦2.2Million
TIPPER AND TRUCKS also available for sales