A truck of rice.

By Jethro Ibileke

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign council in Edo, has faulted Adams Oshiomhole for alleging that the state government hoarded 20 trucks of palliative rice received from the federal government.

This is even as it said that the former governor lied over the allegation that the state government received 30,000 bags of rice from Aliko Dangote but failed to hand it over to the indigent residents.

The Deputy Director-General of the council, Rev. Olu Martin made the allegation on Monday in Benin while addressing journalists.

According to him, the rice looted at a private warehouse by some residents during the #EndBadGovernance protest was part of the food support programme of the state government entrusted to the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), for onward distribution to their members.

“We listened very recently to a statement by Comrade Senator Adams Oshiomhole where he made several allegations over the distribution or redistribution of rice. As a former governor, we think that he should understand how the wheels of government-run.

“When the president issued a statement yesterday, there was no mention of palliative as per rice going around any of the states. Perhaps the president means to, or it’s still in the offing, because [Oshiomhole] said 20 trailers of rice were sent to Edo State, it should come from perhaps the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs and because it is from the government, there is a bureaucracy: somebody should deliver it from Abuja to somebody in Edo who took delivery of it should sign for it.

“Those who assert have the responsibility to prove it. There is a Commissioner for agriculture and he said he has yet to see a pickup load of rice, how much less a trailer of rice, not to talk of 20 trucks of rice.

“The former governor also alluded to Dangote. Perhaps the Comrade Senator is crying wolf because of the consistent bashing of the APC government at the centre and so he is inciting people to loot private warehouses where people kept rice, as it happened during the #EndSARS protest.

“Just this morning we watched the Dangote Foundation distributing rice to individuals using a very similar temple to the one the Edo State government is using. Dangote Foundation doesn’t distribute rice through state governments. He may get data from the state government, but he doesn’t distribute rice through the state government.

“Twenty trucks of rice, you can imagine the numbers! Who received the rice? Oshiomhole ought to have his facts by now. They don’t have that fact. All they have is conflicting propaganda. So, there is no rice anywhere from the Federal Government. And every other thing is APC jingoism and it won’t stand.

“This is simply rascality to incite people because the APC has nothing to campaign with,” he said.

Commenting on the looted rice at a private warehouse during the #EndBadGovernance protest, Olu Martin said:

“The facts are that Obaseki has a food support programme and there is a committee which is responsible for the food support programme

“The committee is no less than that of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Edo State branch and other religious bodies in Edo State. The committee was set up over three months ago and was well-advertised and covered by journalists.

“The first ₦1 billion was released to that committee for the first tranche and they executed it and brought back a report to the governor and the governor released another ₦2 billion recently.

“So, we have our food support programme. Every other discussion about rice coming from any other place is pure speculation and that is why the story does not add up.”