As part of the concerted measures to buffer the effect of the increase in the prices of food commodities on the citizens, the federal government has released over 700 metric tonnes of grains to Ekiti State.
The grains, principally maize and garri, according to the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, who received the items on behalf of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, will be distributed to vulnerable groups to give them a lifeline under this crunchy economic downturn.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, during the handover of the commodities to the Ekiti Government by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mrs Afuye, revealed that the items comprise 12,000 bags of maize grains and 3,008 bags of garri.
She emphasized that the FG’s gesture was geared towards palliating the sufferings of the Ekiti populace under the current economic situation.
According to a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, Mrs Afuye, lauded President Tinubu and Governor Oyebanji for their partnership that was yielding enormous dividends for the Ekiti populace.
The Deputy Governor revealed that the assorted commodities were released from the National Strategic Reserve to vulnerable persons in Ekiti State.
She applauded Governor Oyebanji for speedily releasing a whopping sum of N58.113 million to ABT Transport Services to convey the materials to Ekiti for onward distribution to the targeted population.
“The state government recently distributed 20 thousand bags of rice and garri, not just to the vulnerable but to all the groups through their respective wards, faith-based societies and even the civil servants.
“The Governor also approved certain funds to victims of fire accidents as collated by the State Emergency Management Agency. I want to place on record that Oyebanji’s government is a progressive and forward-looking one.
“All these attest to the fact that the partnership between Governor Oyebanji and FG’s agencies is yielding dividends for our people. Just as we have been doing, we will make sure these materials get to the targeted population to justify the kernel for which it was released”, she said.
Exposing the reason behind the FG’s philanthropic gesture, NEMA’s Director General, Zubaida Umar, said a total of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains, comprising rice, garri, sorghum, and millets, were released by Tinubu’s government to 36 states to reduce the effect of astronomic increase in prices of food materials on the citizens.
Umar, represented by NEMA’s Southwest Zonal Director, Mr Stephen Adewale, stated that the federal government was aware of the negative effects of the current economic downturn, saying the distribution to Ekiti would go a long way in mitigating the inflation.
“The above food items will be shared equally to all the Local Government Areas in Ekiti. Based on the directives of Mr President, 20% of the food items due for each LGA should be given to religious organisations, and 3% to be given to boarding schools”, he said.
In their separate addresses, the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mr Abayomi Opeyemi and General Manager, Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Oludare Asaolu, described the initiative as a way of ensuring that dividends of democracy get to the populace.