Musa Na Allah, Sokoto
On Monday, Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State inaugurated a committee for the sales of Rice and other essential Commodities purchased by the state government at subsidized rates.
Inaugurating the committee Governor Aliyu said the aim of establishing the Committee is to ensure that Rice and other essential Commodities to be sold reached the real beneficiaries devoid of tribal, religious, or political inclinations.
He said the state government considering the economic hardship experienced in the land decided to purchase N14bn worth of Rice to be sold at a subsidized price rate of forty thousand (N40,000) Naira for 50Kg bag.
“My administration is very much concerned and disturbed with the current economic hardship experienced in the country, especially the people of Sokoto state.
“I will do everything possible to ensure the welfare and well-being of the teeming people of the state by providing basic essential needs to cushion the current harsh economic policies.”
The Governor further said the initiative will be implemented throughout the 244 wards in the state,
“It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this historic, all-important, and long-awaited inauguration for the sale of rice to people of the state at a subsidized rate of N40,000 per 50 kilograms,” said the Governor.
He noted that the food intervention comes at a critical time given the challenges facing the nation and Sokoto state.
“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation.
“This kind gesture was made possible at the expense of the state government, “We don’t want our people to go to bed hungry, hence the wisdom to initiate this humanitarian intervention.
“My administration is aware of the potential challenges in distributing key staple foodstuff like rice at this period, but I assure you that a multi-disciplinary team has been deployed to ensure transparency and accessibility.
“Intending beneficiaries would be verified using relevant means to forestall multiple accesses to the commodity by fraudulent individuals.”
He urged citizens to cooperate with government agencies facilitating the process, stating, “It is expected that with the injection of this important staple into the state it will not only crash the price of rice but also reduce the prices of other essential substitutes.”
In his remarks, the chairman of the main committee, Chuso Abdullahi Dattijo assured that his committee would work with extra caution to achieve the desired objectives.
“I urge members of various Committees to be extra careful as all eyes are on them and ensure that middlemen do not play a role in the sales of commodities meant for the less privileged and other vulnerable.
“We will also work according to lay down regulations and terms of reference set up by the state government”
“We are also ready to work with various security outfits and organizations set up to checkmate the sales exercise.
“All 244 political wards in the state will receive 600 bags of the commodity to be sold at N40,000, that’s at 55 percent subsidy.
“I urge banks to be alive to their responsibility, by ensuring that all sales are carefully lodged in the designated account.”
