EXTRA: Poor people don’t eat eggs, says Umo Eno

Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom, says  poor people do not consume eggs.

The governor said this last Thursday at the state executive council meeting where he signed a bulk purchase agency bill into law.

THE BILL

Following the economic hardship in the country, some state governments have implemented measures to ameliorate the impact on residents.

The bill signed into law by Eno, establishes a Bulk Purchase Agency, which will buy food staples in bulk and resell them to vulnerable people at a subsidised rate.

The law lists three staples — rice, beans and garri — on its menu.

The items are to be sold at 10kg each to vulnerable people enrolled in the state’s social register — once a month.

ENO TURNS DOWN INCLUSION OF EGGS

At the state executive council meeting which was attended by other stakeholders, a lady raised concerns about the criteria used to select the food items on the menu, arguing that rice and garri are carbohydrates.

“What modalities did you use in selecting the food items? I have seen beans, rice, and garri — two carbohydrates-based. Beans are protein,” she said.

“I am asking, can we not include eggs? Especially for the malnourished children in the society. They will prefer eggs if we can add eggs also.”

Responding, Eno said: “Poor people don’t eat eggs.”

“Let’s look at staple foods,” the governor said.

“We all know that there is real hunger in the land. Our people need food. So as a government, we proposed that we intervene in the high cost of food in our state.

“The only way we can do that is to set up an agency that will do a direct intervention in the market and get food to our people at a reduced price. That is what the agency seeks to address.”