The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), on Monday took a swipe at the former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, over his claims of30,000 bags of rice from the Dangote Foundation to the state.
Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North senatorial district in the National Assembly, spoke on Saturday as a guest on a television station.
While commenting on the nationwide hunger protests by Nigerians, he claimed that about 30,000 bags of rice were donated to the state by the Dangote Foundation.
Oshiomhole said the rice was part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility towards reducing hunger in the state.
He also alleged that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture sent 20 trucks of rice to Edo State.
He claimed that the state government rebagged and rebranded the bags of rice with the Edo State Government logo.
Reacting to the allegations at a press conference in Benin City, PDP said the Edo government was yet to receive any rice, both from the Federal Government and Dangote Foundation.
The Deputy Director-General, Media and Publicity, PDP Governorship Campaign Council, Olu Martins, who spoke for the party, described the allegations as false and heartbreaking, adding that Senator Oshiomhole is “crying wolf” and trying to incite the looting of private warehouses.
According to him: “We listened to Oshiomhole, where he made several allegations about distribution and redistribution of rice by the Federal Government in Edo State.
“As a former governor, we believe he should understand how the wheel of government runs. Mind you, when the President issued his statement yesterday, there was no mention of palliatives as per rice going to any of the states.
“Perhaps, the president missed it or it was still in the offing because if you sent 20 trailers of rice to Edo, as they have always shouted, it should come from which ministry?
“Perhaps from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. And because it is government, there is a bureaucracy. Somebody should deliver it from Abuja; somebody should deliver it to somebody in Edo; and somebody should sign for it.”
He, however, disclosed that the Edo State Government had released N2 billion for the purchase of rice under its Free Food Support programme.
He said the money was released in two tranches of N1 billion each and is being managed by Christian and Muslim leaders under the umbrella of the Christians Association of Nigeria, (CAN), and the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA), in the state.
“The state government has a food support programme, set up three months ago, and any other report of food coming from another place is mere speculation.
“No 20 trucks of rice were received. There is no rice anywhere from the Federal Government,” he stated.
On March 19, 2024, Aliko Dangote, through his foundation, announced the commencement of the distribution of one million bags of rice.
A press release by Samira Sanusi, an executive at the foundation in Kano, announced that the organisation intends to disseminate the bags of rice, valued at over N13 billion, throughout the 36 states of the federation and Abuja as a measure to alleviate the hardships in the country.