Residents of Niger State’s Chanchaga and Bosso Local Government Areas have expressed displeasure with the state government’s palliative distribution committee’s failure to begin the distribution of relief materials.
The residents expressed their displeasure in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Minna, the state capital.
It could, however, be recalled that the state Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago had on Sept 1, declared Sept 6 to Sept 8, a public holiday for the distribution of palliatives across the 274 wards in the state during an interactive session with Journalists at the Government House in Minna
A visit by our correspondent to some of the wards and polling units in Chanchaga and Bosso council areas discovered that the distribution was yet to commence.
One of the residents in Tundu-Wada South Ward, Malam Jado Usman, said he came to his polling unit on Wednesday and Thursday with the view to collect the palliative but didn’t meet any official at the unit.
“When I came yesterday, I met many people waiting. We waited for a long, and we didn’t see anybody, nobody was on the ground to tell us anything.
“At least, the people in charge should tell us why they are yet to start the distribution, with the way things are going, I doubt if the distribution process will be transparent,” he said.
Another resident, Hajiya Hauwa Abubakar, from Nasarawa C Ward, said she and her household have waited in anticipation of receiving the palliatives to no avail.
“This is the second time I am coming here. I used money to come here, yet I am going back empty-handed, we have not seen any palliative yet, we are tired of waiting,” she said.
Also, Deborah Yakubu, a resident of Bosso, alleged that they got information that some members of the committee were secretly sharing the food items among their families and friends.
“One of my church members told me today that she went to a friend’s house who happened to be a member of the distribution committee, and she was given one bag of rice,” she said.
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Meanwhile, our investigation revealed that some of the wards received the money for the purchase of the food items very late, hence the cause of the delay in the distribution process.
It was also gathered that the hike in prices of rice by traders had contributed to the delay being experienced as a bag of local rice, which was sold for N30,000 to N35,000, was now being sold at N50,000.
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