Why FG hasn’t announced centres for sale of rice

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that although the bags of rice to be sold by the Federal Government for N40,000 were available, sale centres cannot be announced for fear of being hijacked and hoarded by “people who have money”.

The minister stated this while fielding questions from journalists, following a press briefing at the Radio House in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Recall that the Federal Government through the minister on Monday, said it had created centres across the country where Nigerians could purchase 50kg bags of rice for N40,000.

Idris said the initiative was one of several initiatives by the Tinubu administration, to ease living conditions for citizens.

However, speaking on Wednesday, the minister said the bags were in the process of being distributed to states.

He added that the locations of the sale centres across the country could not be announced for security reasons, and to ensure that those for whom the intervention was intended would get the rice.

“It’s in the process of distribution to the various states.

“Sometimes, it is difficult to mention the routes and the time for security reasons.

“But the rice is already available, it is going to be sold at N40,000.

“The rice is already available, I can confirm that it is going to be sold at various points around the country.

“Care is being taken so that it would not be hijacked by people who have money. If we put it out there, they would go there and hoard it; those for whom this rice is intended will not now get the rice”, he said.

Earlier, Idris enumerated efforts by the Tinubu-led administration, including the recently signed National Education Loan Fund, which he said was targeted at two million students and had already received 120,000 applications, as well as the FG’s N110bn Nigerian Youth Investment Fund which he said would run for the next two years.