Anger as states warehouse rice, delay palliatives sharing

Borno distributes rice to 400,000 households, workers lament hunger, demand relief

•Labour insists N5bn not enough, Gombe promises workers N10,000, Anambra N12,000

Nigerians have expressed anger over the delay in the distribution of the palliatives by the state governors.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, National Union of Pensioners and others in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Tuesday, lamented the hunger among their members and expressed misgivings about the way the palliatives package was being handled by the authorities.

Last Thursday, the Federal Government had announced the distribution of N180 billion and 180 trucks of rice to the states to ease the subsidy pains but many governors have kept the materials in warehouses while the workers and residents languish in hunger.

The Federal Government announced N5bn palliative for each state of the federation and 180 trucks of rice as part of measures to assuage the pains of the subsidy removal which had led to multiple hikes in fuel pump prices and driven up the prices of goods and services, worsening the poverty level in the country.

Announcing the release of the palliative at the end of the 135th National Economic Council meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum disclosed that the N5bn was to enable the state governments to procure 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize and fertilizers to cushion the effect of food shortage across the country.