- NASS members accused of hoarding items for festive season
- We’ve not received palliatives, Reps member says
- President Tinubu orders immediate circulation
Confusion and anxiety is trailing the Federal Government’s 2023 festive palliatives package to vulnerable persons across the country as members of the 10th National Assembly are yet to get the items across to their constituents. Consequently, President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate circulation of the food items.
The president was said to have ordered the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, to provide the lawmakers with the food items.
Confirming the distribution on Thursday via his official X handle, presidential aide, Dada Olusegun, said the Senators and members of the House of Representatives have started taking stock of the Federal Government’s palliative items for their constituents.
He said the food items are part of efforts to ease life for all Nigerians, adding that each member of the lower chamber received items worth N100 million, while Senatorial constituencies got palliative items worth N200 million.
He said, “After initial logistics delay, I can now confirm that Senators and members of the House of Representatives have started taking stock of the Federal Government’s palliative items for their constituents as part of efforts to ease life for all Nigerians. Each HoR member received items worth N100m while Senatorial constituencies got palliative items worth N200m.”
Reps member denies hoarding FG’s food palliatives meant for constituents
However, a member representing Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo federal constituency of Osun State in the National Assembly, Bamidele Salam, has debunked insinuations in some quarters that he hoarded food palliatives purportedly given to him for his constituents.
Salam, in a press statement issued by Lubem Gena on behalf of his Media Unit on Thursday, confirmed that there is food palliative from the Federal Government for each of the federal constituencies in Nigeria, but noted that they were yet to be released to the lawmakers.
It reads in full, “The attention of the Media office of the member representing Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo federal constituency of Osun State in the National Assembly, Representative Bamidele Salam, has been drawn to some false and malicious comments being propagated by some commentators on the Social Media.
“Even though one would have ordinarily ignored the perpetrators of the falsehood because they are known political online jobbers, we decided to make the following clarifications for the benefit of genuine information seekers who may be misled by the false publications in reference.
“This office wishes to confirm there is a food palliative for each of the federal constituencies in Nigeria as part of the 2023 supplementary budget of the Federal Government passed by the National Assembly.
“The programme is domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as part of its core mandate.
“Information available to this office indicated that the Ministry has awarded the supply of the food items to contractors about two weeks ago. We equally confirmed that the contractors and the Ministry are yet to conclude necessary documentation before supplies can be effected.
“The Honourable member is in touch with the Ministry to confirm time and location of delivery in order to effectively monitor the distribution to the four local governments after the items are supplied by the contractor.
“The food items distributed by the Honourable member during the Christmas and New Year celebrations are his personal initiative and have nothing to do with the ones being handled by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security which is yet to be delivered.”
