Abiodun flags off distribution of 300,000 bags of rice as palliatives

300,000 bags of 10kg rice palliatives will be distributed to state residents by Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun.

The event, which happened on Friday, was in keeping with Prince Abiodun’s assurance that the palliatives would be distributed right away.

The governor confirmed that the state administration had domesticated the palliatives after the federal government had provided them to the states.

“This is a federal government effort that is being domesticated right here in Ogun State under the direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Our initial goal is to disperse roughly 300,000 sacks of 10kg rice throughout our 5,400 polling places.

“We realised that employing wards won’t be equitable, so we’ve chosen to use voting units as a reference of distribution rather than wards.

“Consider contrasting, for instance, the Ogijo ward in Sagamu with the Ikenne ward. It would be extremely unjust and unequitable to distribute palliatives according to the ward.

But since we are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up our polling units in such a way that each of us is a part of one, it has been possible for us to estimate the population of the various wards.

“So you learn that, for instance, a ward in Ogijo will have a far higher number of voting stations than a ward in Ikenne or Remo North. Therefore, we determined that the polling units would serve as our point of reference, he stated.

Abiodun pointed out that a committee made up of notable men and women has been formed to supervise the distribution of the palliatives.

According to him, the committee, led by his deputy, would make sure that the distribution of palliative care was carried out effectively, and the 20 local governments would also have committees of a similar nature.

“From all around the state, this group is comprised of very prominent, dependable, and eminent men and women.

“My deputy governor will preside over the committee, and she will be assisted by our former deputy governors who are present, as well as two members of the National Assembly, one of whom will represent the House of Representatives and the other the Senate.

Our Iyalojas, CDCs, CDAs, youth community members, interethnic representatives, community leaders, and other distinguished eminent personalities, we believe, will ensure that the palliative distribution is carried out effectively, efficiently, and transparently, the governor said.

He claims that the Central Working Committee (CWC) will be given the power to establish committees in each of the state’s 20 local government areas.

The chairman of the council, the governor’s liaison officers (GLO), a state house of assembly member from each local government, religious leaders, community leaders, young people, students, Iyalojas, and the traditional institution will make up the committees in each local government.

While praising President Tinubu for coming up with the idea for the programme to mitigate the effects of the elimination of the fuel subsidy, Abiodun stated that his administration had categorised the president’s various interventions into the short-, medium-, and long-term.

The state’s head of government announced that his administration has started paying public employees in the state a travel allowance of N10,000. He also noted that payments for other allowances, such as hazard and gratuities, have started.

“As you may recall, we began by providing N10,000 transport allowances to all of our public employees, including teachers and pensioners.

“We also determined that no more than 80% of our workers should be required to be present in the office at any given moment.

“We’ve started paying other allowances, such as danger allowances. As part of the cushioning impact of the loss of subsidy, we started offsetting backlogs of various payments, including pensions, gratuities, deductions, and all other payments, he said.

Abiodun also stated that pregnant women in the entire state would have access to health insurance under his government.

He continued by saying that their access to primary, secondary, or tertiary medical facilities would be made possible by their health insurance coverage.

We will also offer our Ogun State Health Insurance Cover, known as “Ibi Dero,” to all pregnant women in the entire state of Ogun.

“This will cover their pre-natal engagements and also post-natal consultations for up to six months, meaning that you can go to a Primary Health Care Centre, Secondary Health Care, or a Tertiary and consult Pre-natal, give birth for free because the state government is bearing the cost of all that,” he said.

Additionally, the governor announced that his administration will provide the palliatives to needy kids throughout the state.

Prince Abiodun also revealed that his administration would soon start its E-mobility programme, which would enable his administration to replace gasoline-powered motorcycles with electric motorcycles at the expense of the state, and that his administration’s energy transition programme, which would allow state-owned buses to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), would soon start as well.

Abiodun’s open-door approach was praised earlier by the representatives of the Community Development Associations (CDAs), Usman Olamilekan, and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP); Comrade Bola Lawal.

Alhaja Yemisi Abass, the Iyaloja General of Ogun State and a member of the committee, praised the governor for sending additional rice in addition to the supplies the federal government had supplied.
He complimented the governor for selecting committee members from around the state.

In an interview, Governor Dapo Abiodun received praise from Mrs. Ileyemi Olayinka, who represents people with special needs, and Comrade Segun Obadimu, who represents the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, for the rice palliatives they received. They noted that such programmes would support the state’s residents in their perseverance.