‘You’ll be punished’ — Uba Sani warns officials against diverting palliatives meant for residents

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, says over one million vulnerable individuals in the state will benefit from the first phase of palliative funds to be expended on food items, transport and support for farmers.

In a statement on Wednesday, Sani said N2 billion has been released to the state government, adding that the fund will be spent in three phases.

The federal government had recently announced that each state of the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT) would get N5 billion to ease the impact of the removal of petrol subsidy on Nigerians.

Sani said 1,050,000 individuals in about 210,000 households will benefit from the palliative.

The governor said food items would be distributed in the first phase of the exercise, while the second stage would support smallholder farmers, including small and medium-sized business owners.

He said the third stage would be on easing transportation for the residents, adding that a locomotive train would be provided to ease movement from Zaria to Kaduna and from Sabom Tasha to Kafancha areas of the state.

“The families headed by people with disabilities, widows, and the elderly will be considered first,” he said.

“Other poor and vulnerable households, orphanages and internally displaced persons camps (where applicable) will also be given special attention.”

The governor said about 43,000 bags of 50kg of rice will be purchased, adding that a committee will be set up at the LGA level to monitor the distribution process.

“The committee would be headed by the chairman of the LGA and charged with responsibility for planning and distribution of palliatives at the LGA level, including identification of beneficiaries as stipulated,” he added.

“The distribution of the food items would be proportionate to the size of the population in each LGA.

“We are committed to the effective implementation of measures lined up in the three phases.

“For the first phase, the state government has put all necessary machinery in place to ensure that the purchase and distribution of the palliatives are hitch-free. We shall also closely monitor the implementation.

“We call on our citizens to give maximum support and cooperation to the implementation committee to ensure a seamless exercise.”

Sani warned all stakeholders involved in the palliative distribution against diverting the items, adding that those caught would be punished.