Prof Anthony Owan-Eno, Secretary to the Cross River State Government, said that the state has gained an additional N500 million for the palliatives committee to purchase more commodities to soften the effects of hard times brought on, in part, by the elimination of fuel subsidies.
Owan-Eno announced this in a news release, detailing the rice bag distributions to various groups as follows: Students 1000 bags, Religious Groups 800, Traditional Rulers 400, Trade Unions 300, Labour Unions 800, Civil Servants 800, and Persons Living With Disabilities 200.
200 Motherless Babies Homes, 800 IDPs, 800 Refugees, 800 Pensioners, 1100 Support Groups/IPAC, 500 Security, and 100 National Youth Council are among the other groups.
The Cross River State Emergency Management Agency’s Director General, Ogeyi Odey, confirmed that the items had been received and that distributions will begin next week in all parts of the state.
Odey added that the Agency has already planned how to cover all 18 LGAs, and that any organization that is not now on the approved list will be captured soon.
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The SEMA chief also stated that the state’s warehouses, which were destroyed during the EndSARS protests in 2020, had been outfitted with large iron doors to protect supplies.
Odey denied that she is under any pressure from government and ruling APC officials, traditional rulers or politicians to divert the palliatives.
She said she has enough security cover at the various warehouses in the state and such that will sustain the distributions.
“It is not true that I am under any pressure from anybody. No government, traditional chieftain or party bigwigs has put me under pressure to favour them.
“I only take instructions from the State Governor and he has since approved how the palliatives should go.
“Anybody or groups not yet captured can get to the governor and he will advise me accordingly”, she maintained.