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Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has flagged-off another round of statewide food palliative intervention, targeting 90,000 poor and vulnerable members of the society.
Speaking during the inauguration of the distribution exercise in Gombe Local Government Area, at the emir’s palace, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, emphasised that the expansion and continuation of the intervention is meant to complement earlier ones, aimed at alleviating the impact of the fuel subsidy removal on the citizenry.
“Today marks the commencement of another round of statewide palliative distribution for the impoverished and most vulnerable members of our communities. As you are aware, since the fuel subsidy removal, we have consistently offered various palliatives to mitigate the impact on the lives of our people.
“Our recent palliative distribution targeted over 420,000 people across the state. While it is not our wish to continually give such handouts to the people, the current economic circumstances necessitated our intervention. I, therefore, want to emphasise that we would not cease in our efforts until we overcome the challenges of poverty among our people through the various initiatives we have put in place,” the governor said.
While acknowledging the removal of fuel subsidy has resulted in rising cost of living and economic hardships among citizens, the governor assured Nigerians would enjoy its gains soon.
President Bola Tinubu and the state governors are intensifying efforts to move Nigerians out of the present economic hardship.
The governor added that President Tinubu’s determination to provide better leadership will improve the economic situation, assuring the revitalisation of the Port Harcourt refinery will contribute to alleviating the situation by providing locally refined petroleum products for domestic consumption.
Governor Yahaya also used the occasion to call on farmers in the state who have not yet harvested their crops to promptly do so before the January deadline, stressing that the timeline is meant to allow herders graze their cattle in line with the agreed-upon arrangement between farmers and herders as part of the numerous initiatives to mitigate the farmer-herder conflicts in the state.
Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Palliatives Distribution Committee, Manassah Daniel Jatau, disclosed the exercise will cover the 2,998 polling units of the state.
He said the flag-off ceremony performed by Governor Yahaya is a symbolism that signals the commencement of the distribution exercise across the state.
He said 25 people from each of the 2,998 polling units of the state will benefit from the statewide distribution exercise.
He said each of the 114 political wards of the state are allocated cartons of spaghetti pasta and bags of rice.
“After this statewide distribution, the state government will extend the same gesture to the already identified clubs and associations within the state.”
Jatau appealed to members of the palliative distribution sub-committees at both the local and wards levels to see the task before them as a trust which they must discharge with every sense of responsibility.
District Head of Nasarawo, Usman Shettima, thanked Governor Yahaya for his intervention amidst the hardship being faced by the people occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
The community leader, scored the administration of Governor Yahaya high on the maintenance of peace and security in the state, calling on the people to reciprocate the gesture by being law abiding.
Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Ibrahim Njodi, said the continuous distribution of relief items is part of the policy thrust of Governor Yahaya to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of the people of the state.
The distribution exercise continues at the ward and polling units levels across the state.
