NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia
In furtherance of his desire to alleviate the suffering of the poor and vulnerable citizens and residents of Nasarawa State, the governor, Sule Abdullahi, an engineer, took the palliatives distribution exercise to three local government areas in Nasarawa South on Tuesday.
At the Council secretariat Awe, his first port of call, the governor reiterated his wish to ensure that the rice and money distributed reach the most vulnerable in the society. He thanked the traditional rulers, the Council chairman and functionaries of the Council and their team for ensuring that the exercise went smoothly.
While at the Central Primary School, Keeana, the venue of the Keana event, Governor Sule announced the commencement of the payment of five thousand naira to beneficiaries as part of the social safety nets of his administration. He said the exercise kicked off in Doma LGA, where some officials were handling the exercise. “We have an ongoing programme of social investment. And that programme is what we call ‘Kudi A A Sule’ and we are sharing some money with certain beneficiaries. So, we are resuming that sharing today, starting with Doma LGA. So, in the next few days, they will be here in Keana, they will be in Awe, Obi, and Lafia before going to the northern and western parts of the State”
At the event held at the Central Primary School, Keana, Sule stressed that both the money and the rice were exclusively for those present and not for communal sharing. He however said that those who got were free to share with others, noting that that isn’t the government’s position, as more and more people will benefit in the coming days.
The Governor and his team rounded off this phase of the palliative distribution effort at the Palace of the Osoku of Obi, in Obi LGA, where he commended the people’s patience, assuring them that more was being done to support them. Here, the Council Chairman, thanked the governor for his efforts, noting that the rice and money will help some families “who could not afford a square meal because of the suffering resulting from removal of subsidy on petrol”.
At the areas visited, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Humanitarian Services and NGOs, Margaret Elayo praised the governor for his “steadfast dedication to ensuring a better welfare for the people of Nasarawa State.” She equally thanked the people for their patience, assuring them that more would be provided for them in the days ahead to cushion the pain they felt.
In all three locations, Governor Sule and his entourage distributed a 50kg bag of rice and five thousand naira to each beneficiary. In Awe, 1,100 bags were distributed while those who were captured each got a bag in Keana and Obi, including an envelope containing N5,000.
Pix: Gov. Sule speaks at the event in Keana
Pix2: An old man sits on a bag of rice he got