The food distribution to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal that started last week continued yesterday with palliative distribution in three other area councils.
This will be followed in the remaining three area councils today, Tuesday. So far kuje area council, Abaji area council, and Kwali area council were covered on Monday while Abuja Municipal, Bearing, and Gwagwalada area councils will be covered today, Tuesday.
12,000 bags of rice and maize will be distributed to vulnerable households across the six area councils of the FCT.
Speaking on behalf of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in Kwali, Secretary of the Area Council Services Secretariat, Bitrus Garki, explained that the exercise was part of the FCTA’s distribution of palliatives to vulnerable residents, adding that each Area Council would get not less than 2,000 bags of rice and maize.
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“You may recall that about two weeks ago, the FCT Administration organised an event where some of the food items were distributed to various groups. This includes area councils, representatives of 17 chiefdoms, religious organisations, civil servants, and vulnerable groups.
“The feedback we received from that exercise was incredibly encouraging, which is why we are expanding the distribution today. Today, we are gathered here to carry on with this noble gesture, aligning it with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which aims to instil hope for a better future for all Nigerians.
“Under this phase of the distribution, we are bringing the items closer to the people, ensuring direct outreach to the vulnerable groups, taking place simultaneously in all the six area councils of the FCT,” he said.
The Secretary urged the beneficiaries to utilise the items for the betterment of their families, advising them against selling the items, stressing that the gesture was meant to provide sustenance in these challenging times.
According to him, the initiative was an integral part of the Federal Government’s approach to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidies which unfortunately has resulted in increased food market prices.
He said, “We recognise the challenges faced by our fellow citizens and it is our responsibility to address these hardships and provide necessary support during these challenging times.”
Like in Kwali, the message was the same in Kuje and Abaji area councils, where the Secretaries of Agriculture and Rural Development, ARDS, and Social Development Secretariats; Lawal Kolo Geidam, and Ibrahim Aminu, respectively stood in for the FCT Minister, Wike.
Chairman of the Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chia, commended the Tinubu and FCT Minister for the support and promised to ensure equitable distribution of the palliatives to the target beneficiaries.
Corroborating Geidam, his Kuje counterpart, Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, assured that the food items would get to every vulnerable person in his council.
He equally expressed gratitude to Tinubu and Wike for the items, decrying that though Kuje boasts the largest landmass in the FCT, it could not reap its agricultural potential due to insecurity which continues to bedevil the council.
Beneficiaries who spoke to us at the three area councils also commended the President and FCT Minister for the palliatives.
Leader of People Living With Disabilities (PLWD) in Kuje, Philip Maikasuwa, however, appealed for consideration for gainful employment.
Another beneficiary, Rashidat Tauheed, who is also a person with a disability and a graduate of FCT College of Education, said that disabled persons would never forget the gesture. She also appealed to be gainfully employed.
