Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi state on Thursday flagged off the commencement of the distribution of the N2b Ramadan palliative items for beneficiaries across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.
Speaking at the flagging off held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi, the Governor said that already, grains worth the sum of N2 billion have been purchased for distribution to beneficiaries for Ramadan period.
Bala Mohammed noted that the state government is committed to ensuring that the distribution process of the Ramadan palliative was conducted with atmost transparency, as monitoring committee has been set up to supervise the exercise.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his administration’s swift response to the hardship confronting the nation, saying that the collaboration between the federal government and the state governments is a testament to collective commitment to provide succour and solace to citizens during this challenging times.
According to him, “The risen cost of foodstuffs and inflation have played a heaven burden on citizens and it was as a result of genuine concern for welfare and well-being of our people that the state government in collaboration with the Federal Government embarked on this intervention.”
He added that, “I am pleased to inform you that the Bauchi State Government has allocated more than N2 billion towards the purchase of grains and has received substantial contribution from the National Emergency Management Agency, North East Development Commission and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to ensure citizens have access to essential food items during this period.”
He also said that in recognition of the importance of transparency and accountability in this initiative, the state government has set up a committee with critical stakeholders as members to coordinate the distribution and tasked members on fair and transparent distribution.
The Governor therefore announced plans for third batch of palliative to cover all the needed beneficiaries and tasked entire Muslim ummah in the state to use the period of Ramadan to pray for leaders on the current economic crises as his administration is ready to participate in finding lasting solutions to the challenges facing the state and the country in general.
In a key note address, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Bauchi, Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa, who is the chairman of the Ramadan palliative distribution committee, noted that the palliative would go along way in alleviating the suffering of the beneficiaries.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajara Wanka assured of the readiness of the ministry to ensure effective coordination of the Ramada palliative across the state as contained in a statement by Mukhtar Gidado,
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor.
