Subsidy Removal: Kwara, Imo, Oyo States Begin Distribution Of Palliatives

The Kwara and Imo State governments have started the distribution of palliatives to cushion the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.

VerseNews gathered that in the North-Central State, at least two hundred and fifty thousand 10kg bags of rice were shared in the first phase.

During the flag-off event in Ilorin, the state capital, the Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the palliatives are only a show of empathy with the people as more sustainable initiatives are being implemented in phases.

He was represented by the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi Salihu.

According to the Chairperson of the Kwara State Palliative Committee Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, the flag-off marked the beginning of the exercise which would see the palliatives being taken to all the sixteen local government areas after agreeing to the modalities with all the stakeholders and interest groups.

Some of the beneficiaries at the event, however, want the Federal Government to do more to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.

Imo Govt. Warns Against Favouritism

Away from Kwara, Imo State also flagged off the distribution of food palliatives procured by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy on residents.

The event was held in Owerri, the state capital, with Governor Hope Uzodimma saying a committee has been set up headed by the Secretary to the State Government Cosmas Iwu to ensure that the palliatives get to the masses across the 27 local government areas of the state irrespective of political affiliation or favoritism.

He said the distribution of the food items which is a total of 65,000 bags of rice is the first phase of the efforts by the Bola Tinubu administration in cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on indigenes of the state.

Others who attended the event were the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Imo State and other stakeholders. They hailed the move, saying it was a step in the right direction.

The distribution of the 65,000 bags of rice which have been warehoused in a government facility within the state capital is expected to commence soon.

200,000 Households To Benefit In Oyo

In Oyo State, Governor, Seyi Makinde has equally kick-started the distribution of palliatives to poor households in the 33 local government areas of the state.

This is In line with the measures put up by his administration under the Sustainable Actions for Economic Recovery (SAfER), to mitigate the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy in the Oyo State.

The governor, who kicked off the distribution of the food relief packages at the Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III Mini Stadium, Oyo State on Thursday, said 200,000 households would benefit from the food relief support.

Governor Makinde added that the government took its time to plan SAfER, which according to him is more than just a palliative.

He equally appreciated the residents of the Oyo zone for standing by him during the March 18 governorship election, noting that the high margin of victory he recorded in the same was quite commendable.

As the governor kicked off the event in Oyo, the deputy governor of the state, Barrister Bayo Lawal; the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo and the Chief of Staff to the governor, also kick-started the distribution of the food relief packages in Saki, Iseyin and Ogbomoso. respectively.

For the Ibadan Less City, the Deputy Speaker, Hon Abiodun Fadeyi, kicked off the distribution of the food packages, while the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, and his counterpart in the Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives Ministry, Honourable Ademola Ojo, kicked off the scheme for Ibadan Main City and Ibarapa zone, respectively.

According to Governor Makinde, the food relief packages are meant for the poorest of the poor in order to mitigate the effect of the economic hardship on them, stating that each package contained a bag of 10kg rice, 5kg bag of beans, 5kg bag of yam flour and 1kg bottle of vegetable oil.

The governor added that the government is aware that all segments of the society have been affected by the subsidy removal, hence the design of different components of SAfER, which according to him, has taken into consideration other segments of the society.

Makinde noted that the state bought an additional 37,000 bags of rice to add to the 3,000 bags from the Federal Government to make a total of 40,000 bags of rice.

The governor equally stated that another component of SAfER, the distribution of farm inputs to about 10,000 farmers had been kick-started earlier, saying:

“Other measures in the SAfER scheme include low-interest loans to artisans, and micro and small businesses, Enterprise Support to youths under the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP), provision of transportation subsidy, free healthcare to 50,000 pensioners and 100,000 households for period of a year under the Oyo State Health Insurance scheme.”