Palliative: NEMA to begin rice distribution to states… 

The National Emergency Management Agency, on Sunday, said it had commenced arrangements for the distribution of 180 trucks of rice to various states as recommended by the National Economic Council.

On Thursday, the Federal Government announced a 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.

The subsidy removal policy, which led to sharp and multiple increases in fuel pump prices, has driven up the prices of goods and services, pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty and worsening the socio-economic situation in the country.

But 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, the 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.

He had added that considering the urgency in meeting the need to mitigate the skyrocketing food prices across the country, the Federal Government had previous week released five trucks of rice to each state of the federation.

When contacted on Sunday and asked whether the lifting of the trucks of rice to states had yet to start, the spokesperson for NEMA, Ezekiel Manzo replied, “I’m not saying that lifting has not started.

“What I’m saying is that the directive was given on Thursday and arrangements are being made appropriately to carry out the directive.

“And you know that these arrangements would also mean that NEMA will be communicated formerly. But for us in NEMA we are prepared to carryout the directive. That’s what I mean.”

Manzo explained that the council had given NEMA the responsibility to move the commodities, adding that agency would also distribute relief items to some states.