On Thursday, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the sale of federal government-subsidized rice in the state.
The governor announced that his administration will soon begin selling other subsidized commodities across the state’s 20 municipal governments.
Abiodun stated that implementing the scheme throughout the state will assist to expand the initiative’s reach, and that food commodities such as garri, rice, and beans would be sold at heavily subsidized prices.
The governor announced this during a ceremony conducted at the Governor’s Office Arcade Ground in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“We will soon be implementing our version of this scheme from each local government, meaning we will implement this across the twenty local government areas of the state to deepen the reach into our grassroots.
“We will be selling food items like garri, rice, and beans at heavily subsidised prices,” he said.
The governor congratulated the state’s Head of Service and his team on a job well done, noting that both the federal and state governments believe that being strategic, guided by the principles of inclusiveness, transparency, fairness, and accountability, is the key to sustainable development.
He stated that the distribution would include groups such as civil servants at the federal and state levels, organized private sector, artisans, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, student bodies, market women, community development associations, and traditional and religious organizations, among others.
He assured the people of the state that the offices of the Head of Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), had developed a well-structured template to ensure a wide and equitable distribution of the commodity across the state’s 20 local governments.
The governor stated that with the launch of subsidised rice sales in Abeokuta for the Ogun Central Senatorial District, those in Ilaro for the Ogun West Senatorial District and Ijebu-Ode for the Ogun East Senatorial District would begin immediately.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to maintain peace and order at the various sales sites and adhere to the timetable set by the committee in charge.
“To ensure accountability, there will be no cash payments; payment will be made through Point of Sales (PoS) machines, and beneficiaries will undergo physical verification at the point of sale.
“No double registration will be allowed; NIN will be verified to ensure that we prevent any sharp practices.
“This distribution will be carried out transparently and fairly, ensuring that these palliatives reach those we have targeted,” he said.
The governor praised President Bola Tinubu for the move, which he said demonstrated his commitment to addressing the issue of food inflation, and added that the president has demonstrated capacity and love for the people of the country.
He stated that if the government had not liberalised the sale and distribution of petroleum products, the country would have lost more than N11 trillion every year.
In his remarks, the Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, stated that the program is being driven by the Federal Government to improve citizens’ livelihoods.
Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, who was represented by Mrs. Ayo Ajayi, praised the state for having the best template for the sale of subsidised rice, and stated that the Federal Government would adopt the template in other states across the country.
Kyari stated that the initiative, which is intended to provide relief to the people, would go a long way toward lowering food prices, and that the procedure entails verifying the National Identity Number (NIN) and paying N40,000 for the subsidised 50 kilograms of rice via the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).
In his remarks, Waheed Oloyede, state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, praised Governor Abiodun for the continuous release of funds for the settlement of pensioners’ gratuities in the state, as well as for being the first in the country to embrace the Federal Government’s initiative with the launch of the programme.
