Subsidy removal: Taraba communities suggest return of palliative to govt
…say palliative an insult to the poor
By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
Some Community members in Taraba state are of the opinion that the 3000 bags of 50kg rice that were shared recently as palliative in the state be returned to the Federal Government.
Our correspondent investigation revealed that many ward leaders have not shared the rice to their Community members, following what the members described as an insult on the poor masses.
Our correspondent also gathered that, following governor Agbu Kefas, directive, 3000 bags of 50kg rice were distributed across the 16 Local Government Areas in August 2023, by the Taraba State committee on palliative care, to alleviate the hash effect of the fuel subsidy removal
Checks by our correspondent shows that, only 60,000 mudus are contained in the 3000 bags of the 50kg rice.
Following the development, some Community members in the state have described the portrayed palliative as an insult on the poor masses since it can not sustain a family of five for 24 hours.
“We are still wondering on how to share the so call palliative due to how few we received.
“We commend governor Agbu Kefas for the transparency displayed in sharing the palliative, but we wish to say that the federal government so call palliative is a complete insult on the poor masses.
“How can you survive with just one mudu of rice when you are either three or four in a family? What we received can not reach to every poor family if we decide to share one mudu each to the poor families,” Some of the community leaders in Bantaji, Akwana, Kente and Chonku wards in Wukari local government expressed.
In Gindin Dutse ward of Donga local, Mr James Yakubu Nbaye, told correspondent that, “We have 30 polling units here and what we received is only 10 bags of the 50kg rice. This rice can not make any difference from what we are passing through. It’s a clear indication that the government does not value the poor masses who voted them into office.
Mr Abdul Sadiq, of Wurojam ward in Gassol local said, “we have 22 pulling units here with more than 3000 families. How can you share 220 mudus of rice to over 2000 poor families? We received only ten bags of the 50kg rice and a bag contain only 20 mudus.
Correspondent reports that the situation is the same in some wards and Communities in Takum, Karim, Sadauna and Gashaka local governments, while others have managed to shared to few poor families.
