Cross River govt gets another N500m for palliatives
Prof Anthony Owan-Eno, Secretary to the Cross River State Government, has revealed that the state has acquired an additional N500 million for the palliatives committee to purchase more foodstuffs to cushion the effects of hard times caused, in part, by the removal of fuel subsidies.
Owan-Eno revealed this in a press statement, listing the distributions of rice bags to various groups as follows: Students 1000 bags, Religious Groups 800, Traditional Rulers 400, Trade Unions 300, Labour Unions 800, Civil Servants 800, and Persons Living With Disabilities 200.
Other organizations include 200 Motherless Babies Homes, 800 IDPs, 800 Refugees, 800 Pensioners, 1100 Support Groups/IPAC, 500 Security, and 100 National Youth Councils.
The Director General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Ogeyi Odey, also confirmed that the Agency has received the commodities and that distributions will begin next week in all parts of the state.
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Odey explained that the Agency has already listed how to cover the entire 18 LGAs, adding that any group not in the present approved list will surely be captured after now.
The SEMA boss added that the state’s warehouses, destroyed during the EndSARS protests in 2020 have been fitted with big iron doors to protect the supplies.
Odey denied that she is under any pressure from government and ruling APC officials, traditional rulers or politicians to divert the palliatives.
She said she has enough security cover at the various warehouses in the state and such that will sustain the distributions.
“It is not true that I am under any pressure from anybody. No government, traditional chieftain or party bigwigs has put me under pressure to favour them.
“I only take instructions from the State Governor and he has since approved how the palliatives should go.
“Anybody or groups not yet captured can get to the governor and he will advise me accordingly”, she maintained.