Ikwuano/Umuhia North/Umuahia South, where Is Our Share of The FG Rice Palliative?

The House of Representatives Approved President Bola Tinubu’s five hundred billion Naira palliative requests on July 13, 2023, to help cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The facility is intended to expand coverage of the social safety net support for poor and vulnerable Nigerians across the 360 federal constituencies and 109 senatorial zones.

Under this arrangement, every senator was entitled to two hundred million naira worth of rice, while their counterparts in the green chambers were given 100 million naira worth of rice to share with their constituents.

For clarity, the Federal Government did not monetize the rice palliative. Instead, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was given the task of procurement and distribution, with NASS members asked to nominate a contractor to handle the supplies. The contractors were to be paid directly through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

However, due to logistical challenges and bureaucratic processes, some constituencies couldn't receive their palliative until December 2023.

Our investigation revealed that many constituencies received 2 trailer loads of grain, while the senatorial zones received 4 trailer loads of 25kg of rice.

Sources at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security confirmed that as of December 2023, all 360 federal constituencies and 109 senatorial zones had received their full supplies. However, for Abia's central senatorial zone, we cannot immediately confirm who took delivery because of the court judgment that sacked Senator Nwokocha and replaced him with Senator Austin Akobundu. Our sources confirmed that it was Senator Nwokocha who nominated the contractor. Meanwhile, the contractor who handled that of Aba North/South was nominated by Hon. Nnamani, who was sacked by the appeal courts.

While we read from the media about representatives from other states distributing the palliative grains to their constituents, in Abia we witnessed only Rt. Hon. Ben Kalu, Hon. Amobi Ogah, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, Hon. Nkwonta, and H.E Senator Orji Uzor Kalu distributing rice and other palliatives to their constituents.

Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency was luckier, as their representative, Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa, gave three sticks of one-foot-long cassava stems to 27 constituents, while Obingwa/Ugwunagbor/Osisioma federal constituency elected Hon. Munachim Alozie an internationally certified BENCH WARMER into the National Assembly.

Ndi Ikwuano, Umuahia North, and Umauhia South, the question that everybody has been asking, and one I will continue to ask, is what happened to our share of the FG rice palliative?

(1) Did the FG exclude Ikwuano/Umuahia from the rice palliative given to all federal constituencies in Nigeria?

(2) Was ours stolen, or was it lost in transit?

(3) Did the contractor abscond with our money, or was it looted?

(4) Did the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security confiscate our share of the palliative?

(5) Is Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency not entitled to the FG Palliative grains?

If you can't provide answers to these questions will you permit us to believe the trending rumour that the FG Palliative rice meant for distribution to the poorest of the poor in Ikwuano/Umuahia North and Umuahia South was diverted and sold?

Please, Hon. Obinna Aguocha, Member Representing Umuahia North, Umuahia South, and Ikwuano we know you are busy with the Mazi Nnamdi Kanu project, but can you take a few minutes and respond to the above questions?

Thank you,

Uche Aguoru

Is A Public Affairs Analyst

Mr lawmaker, labour party members stole everything in Abia state. Hold your dubious state Governor accountable for it

Toh

When the rice palatable was distributed, some people were busy with their online bunkering.

The rice palatable was for the poor, how many of those who are complaining are actually poor?