Abia govt begins distribution of FG palliatives, excludes political appointees

Abia State Government (ABSG) on Wednesday, started the distribution of the Federal Government palliatives in the State, stating that all government appointees will not benefit.

Addressing newsmen during the commencement of the distribution of the 3000 bags of rice to the 184 wards in the 17 LGAs of the state, the chairman of the committee that is handling the distribution and Adviser to the state governor on Policies and Intervention, Rev Fr. Christian Anokwuru said the committee is targeting “the poorest of the poor” and the vulnerable in the distribution of the palliatives.

He explained, “We got only 3000 bags from the government against the initial, mail we received that we are receiving 40,540 bags of maize, 50kg of 81,000 bags of rice and 121,432 bags of fertilizer.

“When more comes, the sharing modalities will be reviewed. Each political ward will get 14 bags and the distribution is transparent.

Also speaking, the representative of the NLC, and state chairman of MWHUN, Ogbonnaya Okoro described the sharing process as transparent, stating that the civil servants in the state will be factored in during the distribution of the next batch, starting from grade level 1 to grade level 6.

Similarly, the representative of the pensioners, Elder Uma Kalu described the sharing of the bags of rice process as transparent.

Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Chinedu Ekeke in a statement he signed and shared on his verified Facebook page, explained that the two billion naira was received on August 17, stating that plans are being made to ensure that a proper sharing formula to the most vulnerable persons is made.

Ekeke said; “Our attention has been drawn to a letter you addressed to the Governor and we are impressed as it demonstrates your active interest in the welfare of Abians. This aligns with our interest which is to substantially improve the welfare of our people.

“Yes, Abia State has received the five truckloads of rice. At 600 bags per truckload, this amounts to 3000 50kg bags of rice. These 3000 bags of rice have not been shared yet, but we are working on how to distribute them to ensure that they get to the target members of society and our most vulnerable ones. Be sure it will be handled transparently.

“Of the N5billion promised by the Federal Government, I can confirm that we have received two billion naira on Thursday, August 17. We are still expecting the balance. We will use the entire money for the purpose intended. We may, however, have to find out from our people if they particularly want the items that were mentioned by the Federal Government or if we can adjust the list accordingly. For instance, if our people prefer beans to maize which is not so much a staple food in Abia, we may have to get for our people bags of rice, beans, and fertilizers instead of rice, maize, and fertilizers. In making the decision, we will be guided by what our people want.

Addressing newsmen later, Ekeke explained that the rice came in five truckloads of 600 bags each and is still expecting the fertilizers and maize, and also still expecting the balance of the fund of N3bill which will come in the form of loans and grants.

“We have a robust arrangement to identify them and in the committee that is sharing it, we have people from the government, representation from the NLC, TUC, pensioners and CAN.

“So, the whole idea is to ensure that there is adequate monitoring so that they are able to let those who deserve these things get them.”

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