From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has reiterated his administration’s commitment to distribute palliatives to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal on the people of the state.
Sule stated this last Wednesday during the distribution of the federal government’s palliatives in Karu Local Government Area of the state.
The Voice earlier reported that the state government had recently flagged-off distribution of the Federal Government’s palliatives across the 13 local government areas of the state.
The governor said, 1000 bags of 50 kilograms of rice will be given to 1000 persons each to alleviate the sufferings being experienced by citizens of the state.
Sule said: “As for this rice that we are sharing, we decided that every local government, in this case now, Karu will receive 1000 of the 50kg bags of rice.
“The 1000 persons who will get the bags of rice will receive in addition to the 1000 bags N5000 each. That is the money that I said should be brought to me because I want to be able to give this money and give this rice by myself.
“A total of N5 Billion is going to be given to every state but it’s not all cash. N2 Billion has already been released to us as a government. N2 Billion will be released later.
“Another N1 Billion will come to us in form of grains and we have already started receiving that as well.”
He also revealed that as for the palliatives from the state government, civil servants at the state and local government levels will be given N10,000 a month for six months and N5000 for six months for pensioners both at the state and local levels.
“These are the arrangements we have had and are in addition to other palliatives that will be provided including buses that we are buying, about ten of them that will be able to drive on Compressed Natural Gas.
“Those buses will be at reduced transport fare, so it will reduce the cost of transportation for most of our people,” he said.
Sule therefore, appreciated the initiative of President Bola Tinubu aimed at cushioning the effects of the hardship created as a removal of the fuel subsidy and assured that the palliatives will be equitably distributed to the less privileged who are hard hit by the subsidy removal.
Earlier, Chairman of Karu LGA, Hon. James Thomas, who expressed joy over the gesture to the people of the area, vowed to fully enforce the directive that the palliatives should be given to the most vulnerable.
“Your Excellency, I want to assure you that we have had series of meetings to ensure that this palliative is distributed strictly to the most vulnerable because it is even a curse for any leader to divert whatever is meant for the most vulnerable.
“By the grace of God, the modalities that we will use in sharing this palliative are aimed at reaching out to the vulnerable down at the various units in Karu. The committee saddled with this distribution is aware of this because we told them of it,” he said.
He warned that anyone caught diverting the palliative will be arrested with help of security agents and made to face the wrath of the law.
