On Tuesday, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq inaugurated a 12-person committee to oversee the distribution of N5bn in federal government palliatives in the state.
The governor emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring a nonpartisan, transparent, and credible distribution process.
The committee was established shortly after the federal government announced nationwide palliatives, including N4bn worth of rice and maize from the strategic maize reserve (SMR).
Governor AbdulRazaq clarified that the palliatives are just one of the measures taken to alleviate the difficulties caused by the fuel subsidy removal and strengthen the economy. He expressed the importance of working together as a united people to overcome the current challenge.
The committee’s responsibilities include engaging with various stakeholders and communities to create a representative list of beneficiaries. They will also coordinate the distribution of rice palliatives in 10kg bags and provide recommendations for handling the maize component.
The timeframe for the assignment will depend on factors such as the receipt of the remaining N2bn for the state’s purchase, which would then be used to purchase new consignments of the food stuff, according to the terms of reference.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Commissioner of Police Ebunoluwa Rotimi Adelesi said: “We thank His Excellency for founding 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.”
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).
