Petrol Subsidy: Gov AbdulRazaq Inaugurates 12- Member Committee That ‘ll Distribute Food Items To Kwarans ,Urges Them To Be Nonpartisan, Transparent

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state on Tuesday inaugurated the 12-person committee that would handle the distribution of federal government’s ‘palliatives’ worth N5 billion to residents of the state, while restating his administration’s  commitment to making sure that the distribution process is totally nonpartisan, transparent and credible.

The state government had set up the committee at the weekend — a day after the federal government announced the countrywide ‘palliatives’  which include N4 billion worth of rice and maize from the strategic maize reserve (SMR) which is in the region of N1 billion 

The governor said the ‘palliative’ is only one of the many steps the government has taken to relieve people of the difficulties attendant with the fuel subsidy removal and also strengthen the economy.

‘It is important to clarify that food palliatives are only a stopgap measure to show empathy and reach out to the people, especially the most vulnerable ones among us. It is not the only step the government has taken since the removal of fuel subsidy. Government is committing huge resources to hasten mass production and use of gas and electricity-powered vehicles nationwide as well boost agricultural productivity, manufacturing, and small and medium scale enterprises. We are in this together, and I plead that we work together as one people bounded by one destiny to get over this current challenge.

We have set up this committee to make the process of distributing the palliative as nonpartisan, transparent, participatory and credible as humanly possible. We trust your judgment and commitment to making the palliatives to reach the nearest and farthest corners of our state’ a statement made available to  Team@orientactualmags.com by Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye quoted the governor to have submitted while giving his speech during the event.

The governor commended members of the committee for accepting to serve the state, urging them to make Kwara a shining example while noting that other states ‘are already adopting the modalities of the Kwara state Government’.

The committee’s terms of reference include reaching  out to different stakeholders and communities, including labour union and trade unions, marketers, to generate a list of beneficiaries that would be as representative as possible. The committee, among other things, will also coordinate and distribute the rice segment of the food items in 10kg bags as well as advise the government on the best way to handle the maize component of the ‘palliative’.

The statement noted that the timeframe for the assignment would be determined by different factors, such as the receipt of the balance of N2 billion expected to be given to the state, which would then be used to purchase new consignments of the food stuffs, according to the terms of reference.

Speaking on behalf of the committee, Commissioner of Police, Kwara state,  Ebunoluwa Rotimi Adelesi said: “We thank His Excellency for finding us worthy and for having the trust in us to be members of this committee. We promised to be transparent. We are not going to let the governor and the state down.

We will put into consideration the people who are supposed to be given the palliatives: the deserving people. We are going to abide by the terms of reference and we will come clean with the public to let them know what we are doing. We will not let you down’ she said 

Members of the committee are CP Adelesi; His Royal Highness Dr. Haliru Yahaya (OON); Abdulrasheed Shafi (DSS); Prof Hamzah Abdulraheem (Secretary General of JNI, Kwara State); Bishop Sunday Timothy Adewole (CAN); Dr Lawal Olohungbebe (CSO); Mrs Grace Funke Bolaji (CSO); Dr. Saudat AbdulBaqi; Stephen Owoyale; Comrade Yusuf Bashir (people living with disabilities); Binta Abubakar Mora (NUJ); and Abdulrahman Babatunde Ameen (Secretary)-Team@orientactualmags.comDo you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you