In his bid to tackle poverty and improve the standard of living of the people, Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State has begun the distribution of palliatives, including food items, farm inputs, mobility aids for people living with disabilities, motorcycles and tricycles, across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Disclosing this at a press conference while giving a breakdown of the 202 budget estimate of N526 billion presented by the governor to the State House of Assembly recently, Commissioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Al- haji Hon. Sambo Bello Danchadi, said over 168,000 bags of rice would be distributed to people of the state at subsidised rates.
He said the state government spent about N14.4 billion on the welfare package meant to cushion the harsh effects of the nation’s economy on the people.
According to him, the welfare package would be distributed to the people in all 244 wards in the state, adding that a 50kg bag of rice would be made available at N38,700.
“The government has commenced the distribution of palliatives to people across the 23 local government areas of the state, through the purchase of 280 trucks of rice containing 168,000 bags, at the cost of ₦14.4 billion, which is currently being sold at subsidized prices across the 244 wards of the state.
“For emphasis, the Sokoto State government is selling a 50 kg bag of rice at N38,700.
“These achievements demonstrate our administration’s commitment to delivering quality services and driving economic growth and development in Sokoto State.
“We look forward to building on these successes in the coming year,” he said.
Commenting on the efforts of the state governor to boost agriculture in the state, Hon. Damchidi stated that some 7000 hectares of land in 17 communities of the state have been prepared for the cultivation of moringa oleifera, which market value, he said, was huge.
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