From Esther Akaa, Lafia
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State has alleged that funds given to the state government as palliatives to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on the people of the state had been diverted by government officials.
The PDP made the allegation in a statement issued and signed by the state chairman of the party, Hon. Francis Orogu and made available to The Voice, recently in Lafia.
According to him, there was an unwholesome diversion of the palliatives and shortchange of the poor people of the state by officials of the state government, calling on the Federal Government to quickly intervene and recover the money given to the state government.
He said, “This appeal has become urgent in order to ensure that the Federal Government’s noble decision to cushion the hardship Nigerians were facing does not become an avenue to line up the pockets of state government officials rather than help the poor.
“It is now clear that rather than apply the funds to purchase foodstuff and other items to help the people, the money has obviously been diverted while the citizens of the state were being given pitiable measures of food items and ridiculous amount that are an insult on the reputation of President Ahmed Tinubu.
“Already, the BBC Hausa service, which witnessed the so called distribution of items in Keffi Local Government Area of the state broadcast a report which has ridiculed the image of the Government of Nigeria because of the meager and miserly items given to whole families to feed on.
“The BBC Hausa Service carried reactions of widows, orphans and the weak who cried out for help against the insult and ridicule the poor have been subjected to by the state government in the name of palliatives distribution.
“The whole process is obviously designed to turn the people against the President and the FGN as the meager items being distributed are blamed on the Federal Government, rather than the criminal diversion of the money given to the state government for this purpose.
“It is obvious that even if the state government had utilised just N2 billion as part of the N5 Billion given by the FGN to buy foodstuff for the poor in the state the impact would definitely be felt by the people.”
Orogu said, as a party and as a people, they would not fold their arms and watch the good intention of the federal government to go down the drains.
e therefore appealed to the president to set up a distribution committee compressing the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Pensioners, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other critical stakeholders to handle the palliative in the state.
“It must be noted that throughout the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the billions given to Nasarawa State to help the poor ended in the pockets of state government officials as majority of our people never got anything out of it! Recall that a number of buses were gathered and commissioned by the president under the present administration in the state only for the buses to disappear without trace after the public and media display.
“We have noticed a similar pattern on the matter of these palliatives in the state. Such media display has become a hallmark of the pretentious administration in the state and we invite our traditional rulers to act instead of being political messengers.
“The Tinubu administration must therefore, end this vicious circle of official theft in the name of palliatives in Nasarawa State for the sake of widows, orphans, and the poor,” he said.
