Oyo, FG partners to distribute grains

The Federal Government, in conjunction with the Oyo State government, on Monday, distributed assorted commodities from the Natural Strategic Reserve to vulnerable persons in the state.

Governor Seyi Makinde, who received the foodstuffs at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Secretariat, Ibadan, warned the 33 local government chairmen in the state not to share the commodities among their political class.

Makinde, represented by the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, reminded them that security operatives, especially the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, would monitor the distribution.

The deputy governor said, “This distribution would have come before now, you know the project is directly under my office, but I intentionally delayed it by advising His Excellency, Governor Makinde.

“Now that you have been elected, you are now the chairmen of local governments. I want to warn you on behalf of the governor not to share it among yourselves or political class.”

He further explained that the state government also released funds for the project and urged them to distribute it to the appropriate group.

Earlier, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, who was represented by the Zonal Director, South-West, Steven Adewale, recalled that one of President Bola Tinubu’s promises was to reduce the impact of the current economic downturn being experienced in Nigeria.

“Mr President approved the release of 42,000MT of the assorted food commodities from the National Strategic Reserve under the custody of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The assorted food commodities include maize, millet, sorghum and garri.

“Based on the directives of Mr President, 20 per cent of the food items due for each local government area should be given to religious organisations (JNI & CAN) and three per cent to be given to the boarding schools in the councils,” he said.

Also speaking, the Ekarun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Hamidu Ajibade, who represented the Olubadan-in-Council, urged both the federal and state governments to find solutions to the issues of insecurity in the state, especially in the Oke-Ogun region, lamenting that kidnapping and killing of farmers were rampant.

“I want to use this occasion to appeal to the Federal Government, through our dear Governor Makinde, to help us find lasting solutions to the insecurity in this state, especially in the Oke-Ogun area. Our people are no longer going to the farms for fear of being killed or kidnapped.

“We need security in this state. Please, it is getting out of hand. We need to go back to farming. We need tractors, let’s go back to mechanised farming.

“We Obas are discussing this issue of insecurity daily. Your Excellency, help us to pass this message to President Tinubu that people are suffering,” he said.