Palliatives meant for poor households diverted – Deputy Senate President

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, has said the federal government is committed to reducing hunger in the country, but some individuals are frustrating the efforts.

Mr Jibirin said President Bola Tinubu has approved several palliative measures for poor households and vulnerable Nigerians, but the people assigned for the distribution are diverting them.

The DSP disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists in Abuja on the distribution of palliatives from the federal government to residents of Kano State.

“The mandate Mr. President has given to us is to make the items to be distributed get to the people. He (Tinubu) has given a lot of palliatives, but they are not being distributed evenly, they have not gone to those at the grassroots who should have them,” Mr Jibrin said.

He did not mention the names of the people diverting the palliatives.

Rice for distribution

Mr Jibrin, who represents Kano North Senatorial District, also said the federal government has inaugurated a committee, chaired by himself, to distribute palliatives to the people of Kano State.

He said it would distribute 25kg of rice as palliative to 23,644 people in the state, with an estimated population of 15,462,200.

He assured that with the modalities the committee had identified, the rice palliative will be distributed to identified beneficiaries across the 44 local government areas of the state.

Mr Jibrin said part of the modality is that each beneficiary will be identified through a valid means such as a National Identity Card, Driver’s license, Voter card, or International passport.

“Beneficiaries shall be listed on a sheet of paper, and each shall be given a bag of rice (25kg) after such a person is identified through a valid means of identification such as a National Identity Card, Driver’s license, Voter’s card, or international passport,” he said.

Mr Jibrin assured of fairness in the distribution of the palliatives.

“The list of all beneficiaries with their signatures shall be submitted to the local government committee for onward submission to the state committee.,” he added.

Committee members

Aside from Mr Jibrin, other members of the committee are the Kano South senator, Kawu Sumaila; Kano Central senator, Rufai Hanga; Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo; Minister of State (FCT), Mariya Mahmud and the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo.

READ ALSO: Ekiti traditional ruler directs reduction in prices of foodstuffs, bans traders’ associations

Others are the Kano State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Abbas, al member in the APC House of Representatives members from Kano State and Kabir Alhassan Rurum of the NNPP, Kano State Governorship Candidate of the APC in the 2023 election, Nasir Gawuna, Director General of the National Productivity Centre (NPC), Baffa Agundi, Members of the Kano State House of Assembly, Maryam Shettima and the Chairman of NNPP in Kano State, Hashimu Dungurawa.