Tinubu directs instant free up of grains to FCT citizens

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to facilitate the immediate release and distribution of grains and palliatives to residents to cushion the effect of the economic hardship.

The Minister of State for the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, disclosed this on Wednesday, in an emergency meeting with stakeholders and chairmen of the six area councils of the FCT.

She said the directive came in a letter from the Presidency, through the National Emergency Management Authority to the FCT minister, while also announcing the setup of a committee to carry out the directive within the next two weeks.

Some FCT residents had on Sunday attacked a warehouse in the Gwagwa-Tasha area of Abuja, belonging to the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT Administration, looting food items and vandalising the building.

Mahmoud further stated that the letter was issued on February 29, 2024, meaning that they had only a week left to carry out the directive and ensure the proper distribution of the palliatives.

“Everybody knows how His Excellency, Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been going up and down to see how he will cushion the effect of the hardship in the country, especially, particularly the issue of food security. They have been having meetings through the Ministry of Agriculture and finally, we were able to get a lot that we have to distribute for our people, to tell us how Mr President has his people in his heart.

“So it was along this way that the Minister FCT, Nyesom Wike, was addressed through this letter, to call an important meeting with important stakeholders that were highlighted, which most of them are here, to see how we arrange some committees for transparency of the distribution of these palliatives that we are about to get, and then the preparation that we need to have, before these items are given to FCT for distribution,” she said.

She listed members of the Committee to include: Chairmen of Area Councils, FCT Emergency Management Agency, Traditional Rulers, Department of State Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Faith-based organisations, National Union of Local Government Employees, Nigeria Red Cross Society, Women Associations, Persons with Disability groups, youth associations, Principals of boarding schools, civil society organisations and the media.