- Targets 400, 000 households in Borno
From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Borno Governor Babagana Zulum has commenced distributions of bags of rice and beans to 100,000 households in the state as part of the Federal Government palliatives to cushion the impact of petrol subsidy removal on the people.
Zulum while flagging off the distributions at a camp for displaced Boko Haram victims on Tuesday, said each of the 100, 000 households are expected to get a bag of rice and beans.
“We are here to flag off the distribution of palliative to 100,000 less privileged people in Borno State in addition to the 300,000 house heads which the Borno State government started,” Zulum announced.
He said the release of N5 billion by the Federal Government will reduce the hardship citizens are experiencing following subsidy removal and high cost of living.
He said government added beans to the food items to ensure the people get protein.
Responding to why he has been engaged with food distributions since becoming the stats governor in 2019, Zulum said the devastation in the state caused by Boko Haram insurgency promoted him to embark on massive palliative distributions.
“This region had been devasted by Boko Haram insurgency. People were displaced from their homey and means of livelihood and communities were destroyed. So the only way we can do to our people is to provide humanitarian supports,” he explained.
He said he is concentrating on the severely affected areas like Bama, Dikwa, Ngala, Kukawa, Gwoza, Kala Balge, Matte, Abadam and Malam Fatori, for regular food distribution due to the challenge of the people to access their farmlands
About 2,000 households per wards in the state capital, will benefit from the palliative distributions, the governor said.
Bags of rice and beans ready for pick up at Bakassi IDPs camp Maiduguri on Tuesday.