Palliatives target over 1m vulnerable residents – Kaduna gov

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has said the palliative committee will soon commence the implementation of its intervention efforts, targeting approximately a million vulnerable individuals within the state.

 He said during the committee’s inauguration at the government house that the state had received N2 billion out of the N5 billion allotted for the initiative.

 According to him, this N2 billion will be utilised as part of the initial phase of palliative distribution.

 During his announcement, Governor Sani said the one million vulnerable people to cover were equal to around 2,010 households.

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 “In light of the N2 billion allocation, the deputy governor, trade unions, market women, and individuals with disabilities collaboratively deliberated to establish the most effective approach for utilising these funds. An agreement with the trade union was reached to procure 43,000 bags of 50kg of rice, amounting to 1.9 billion. Kaduna’s government will return 42 percent of this amount, as it constitutes a loan.”

The governor clarified that their emphasis is on supporting widows, individuals with disabilities, and internally displaced persons within the state.

 He said the second phase of the initiative, which will address transportation needs, included provision of free transportation in collaboration with the NURTW and Tricycle unions for the urban poor, as well as support for farmers by providing fertilisers and aiding small-scale businesses.

 Similarly, the Katsina State government said it had received the sum of N2 billion from the federal government as the first tranche to procure foodstuff and fertiliser to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the masses.

 The state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs, Dr. Bala Salisu Zango, stated this while addressing journalists. He refuted the insinuation making the rounds that the state had received the sum N25 billion from the federal government.

 The commissioner explained that the state government had used the N2 billion received for the purchase of N40,000 bags of rice for onward distribution to the poorest of the poor amongst residents in all the polling units across the state.

 He assured the people that as soon as the next tranche of the money is received from the federal government, the state government would purchase additional bags of maize and distribute them to the citizens.