Governor of Gombe State Muhammadu Yahaya claimed that the state had received N2 billion of the N5 billion set aside by the federal government as a palliative for subsidy removal.
This information was revealed on Wednesday at the grand finale of the palliatives distribution at the Gombe Emir’s palace grounds by Yahaya, who also serves as Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum.
Since the governor inaugurated the distribution in Yalmatu Deba last week, according to our correspondent, the committee led by the chairman of the Gombe State Emergency Management Agency has travelled to nine LGAs, dispersing painkillers among households and voting booths.
Among the supplies given out are a carton of macaroni or spaghetti, two bags of fertiliser, two litres of pesticides, and five kilogrammes of rice.
Yahaya asserts that there won’t be a miracle as anticipated by those who learned about the Federal Government’s N5 billion, noting that only N2 billion has so far reached state coffers.
We have been visiting the 11 Local Government Areas to distribute, he said. This is merely a preliminary step in anticipation of what the Federal Government will provide as a palliative for the harms caused to people by the removal of subsidies because there is dislocation in the nation and there are problems, many of which didn’t even start now but which we must address now.
“That is why I’m stressing that those who received these must go and use them properly, especially if you have a farm. You can use the two fertiliser bags to ensure that there is productivity on your farm.
“For those hoping that the N5 billion that the federal government is providing to the states will bring about miracles, we have grains, especially maize, that we received from the central bank that is worth N1 billion, and we have N2 billion worth of rice according to the palliative committee that we can purchase as soon as the next money is disbursed to us.
“I’m not sure if the Federal Government has that much money in reserve through CBN or any of its agencies. In Gombe, for example, the grain silos that belong to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture have been leased to a private company, which means that the 25,000 tonnes of grain that were supposed to be a strategic reserve are now out of the government’s control and in the hands of the private sector.
“If you give N3b and ask that we go to the market and buy directly from the market, it will add more inflation and the prices will go up again, and the problem will persist,” he continued.
Palliatives were criticised by Yahaya, who described them as curative rather than preventive maintenance that would end hunger.
We will consider carefully how to use our own funds and make sure they reach the right individuals. The deputy governor will be in charge of making sure that we implement the Federal Government’s remedies and that they reach the appropriate people.
“A palliative package has been distributed. I don’t like that we are sharing palliatives; I would rather that the government teach people to return to farming so that they can grow their own food. After all, we are in this predicament because of our own doing.
Inshallah, I promise that I will provide the effective leadership required so that both of us can move forward. Yahaya said, “We backtrack, think twice, and do the needful.
