Confusion, anger, and weekend trailed the sharing of the truckloads of rice with the Federal Government
promised each of the 36 States, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, as palliative, to soften the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on poor Nigerians.
The National Economic Council, NEC, presided over by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, which endorsed the tranquillizer, penultimate Thursday, also approved the distribution of 40,000 bags of maize in addition to the N5 billion each to the states.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, who briefed State House correspondents, said the states were to purchase 100,000 bags of rice and beans, among other items.
Investigation by Saturday Vanguard, however, showed that there was ambiguity among the states on the N5billion grant and rice palliative. It was learnt that the federal government had credited states with N2 billion out of the promised N5billion, but did not explain the component of the money, creating misunderstanding among the states. The development prompted Commissioners of Finance in the 36 States to meet with the Federal Government in Abuja to clear the misconceptions.
According to our source, “the federal government credited the accounts of all the states of the federation with N2 billion each but the states do not know what the N2 billion is meant for. Therefore, the states want to know if the N2 billion component from the federal government is a grant, or part of the loan. This informed the reason all the Finance Commissioners, across the country, recently met with the Federal Government to get clarity on what to do with the N2 billion credited to the accounts of their respective states.
“In addition, the federal government did not deliver the five trucks of rice in full to the states as of Thursday. At the moment, some states have done nothing about the federal government palliative because there is no clarity from the federal government, and that has also affected the truckloads of rice”, the source added. Saturday Vanguard learned that some states received two trucks of rice but withheld distribution until they receive the remaining three. Others were yet to receive theirs, but some have fully received their five trucks and in some states, party leaders hijacked the distribution.
A video was trending during the week to demonstrate the transparency in the sharing of the 1,200 bags of rice donated by the Federal Government for the people of Kwara State in 16 local governments, as part of the palliatives promised by the government to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
In the video, the narrator informed the crowd that out of the 1,200 bags of the palliative rice, Adewole ward, which is one of the 12 wards in Ilorin West local government was given 8 bags and when it was further divided among the areas in the ward, Agunbelewo area, comprising several families got six bowls of rice which he put in the midst of the people as one of the bewildered residents asked; “how do we share this now? In Lagos, the distribution was accompanied by chaos. Such was the absurdity of the so called palliative measures by the Federal Government.
President of MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke, said that the distribution of rice to the citizens was the most “ridiculous” thing any government could envisage at a critical time just like this. According to him, “We are not in an emergency in Nigeria. The government should have sent the rice to the camps of displaced people.
I will, therefore, suggest that they send the bags of rice to the Motherless Children and Old Peoples’ homes. I do not trust that the government can effectively distribute the rice to the poor because they do not even have reliable data of the poor. N5 billion, and donated foodstuff cannot ease poverty nor can it address food crisis and poverty.
We will suggest the government invest the money in public transport. That could affect society and reduce the cost of transportation. But beyond that, the government should encourage investment and competition to address the economic crisis created by the subsidy removal.”
A chieftain of the pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, asserted that, “Considering the lifestyle of governors across the country, they will share the money with their close associates and give the rice to family members and political loyalists. That was what happened in the COVID-19 period.
What have they done with the 13 percent Derivation to states? They talked about providing vehicles to help the masses in transportation. We have seen that during the military regime. Where are those vehicles the government bought today? The federal government should approve the operations of modular refineries and transact businesses in our local currency.
That is the fastest way of salvaging the economy. Government should make the refineries work maximally; encourage the Dangote Cement to function well. When you do that, you will take away customs duties from people and the cost of insurance. President Tinubu went into a bobby trap without looking deep”.