Hardship: Katsina adopts Jigawa’s kantin sauki palliative shops model

The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda has announced that the state would adopt Jigawa state’s palliatives model in its efforts to address the rising cost of food and economic challenges in his state. Hamisu Muhammad Gumel, the spokesperson to the Governor of Jigawa State, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Mr Gumel said that Governor Radda was hosted by his Jigawa State counterpart, Umar Namadi on a one-day working visit at the weekend during which he toured some palliative shops initiative by Governor Namadi called kantin sauki where food items are sold at subsidized rates. Mr Radda also commissioned a Juma’at Mosque in Jahun Local Government Area of Jigawa State during the visit.

“Upon returning to Dutse, Governor Namadi gave his guest, Governor Radda, a personal tour of one of Jigawa State’s palliative shops. The Katsina Governor was greatly impressed by the state’s commendable, people-focused efforts to enhance the welfare of both its workforce and the wider population”, Mr Gumel said in his statement.

Mr Gumel’s counterpart in Katsina, Ibrahim Kaula Muhammad, in a subsequent press release, said that Governor Radda, impressed by what he saw during the visit, has announced plans to replicate Jigawa’s Kantin Sauki stores across Katsina State.

The Katsina governor’s spokesperson, Mr Muhammad said in his statement: “This initiative, inspired by a similar successful programme in Jigawa State, aims to provide essential commodities and foodstuffs to the public at subsidized prices.

“The announcement came during Governor Radda’s one-day visit to Jigawa State, where he commissioned a kantin sauki store in Dutse.

“Speaking to newsmen, Governor Radda expressed his enthusiasm for the project, ‘I was able to see the system and the kind of people benefiting from it.

“This visit serves as a study tour to understand the technicalities, and I’ve already directed my special adviser to study the system for implementation in Katsina State, the statement stated.

Mr Muhammad said Governor Radda, who also chairs the Northwest Governors Forum, commended the development initiatives of Jigawa State under Governor Umar Namadi’s leadership.

“Katsina has a lot to learn from the well-thought-out development programmes of Governor Namadi,” he remarked.

Mr Radda said that his government was determined to do everything possible to reduce the level of suffering among the people of Katsina State. He emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared challenges.

“The Northwest governors are collectively addressing economic issues, security concerns, and agricultural development in a holistic manner.

“This collaborative approach underscores the commitment to finding sustainable solutions to the region’s pressing issues”, Mr Muhammad further quoted Governor Radda as saying.

Mr Radda said the planned kantin sauki store represents a significant step towards alleviating economic hardship and ensuring food security for the state’s residents.

The statement said the kantin sauki initiative is in tandem with Governor Radda’s broader vision of inclusive growth and development for Katsina State.

The Jigawa state Government in July launched the innovative “pay less” cashless transaction initiative, kantin sauki, which entails the provision of essential commodities, particularly food stuff to the target beneficiaries at prices below the reigning market prices.

The kantin sauki shops initiative is powered with customised ATM cards and Point-of-Sale (POS) devices for the commencement of sales across all the 287 wards in the state. The palliative shops are serviced from a distribution centre in Dutse fully stocked with essential commodities.