From Daniel Abel, Lafia
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Nasarawa state chapter has accused the state government over diverting federal government paliative meant to alliviate the hardship of the poor citizens of the state.
The opposition PDP in the state urged the Federal government to quickly intervene and recover the money given to Nasarawa State government for palliatives meant to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on the people.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the state Chairman of the party, comrade Francis Orogu which was made available to journalists in Lafia, the state capital.
The statement reads,
“Our attention has been drawn to the unwholesome diversion of the paliative and merciless shortchange of the poor people of our state by officials of the state government!
“This appeal has become urgent in order to ensure that the Federal Government’s noble decision to cushion the hardship Nigerians were facing does not become an avenue to line up the pockets of state government officials rather than help the poor.
“It is now clear that rather than apply the funds to purchase foodstuff and other items to help the people, the money has obviously been diverted while the citizens of the state were being given pitiable measures of food items and ridiculous amount that are an insult on the reputation of President Ahmed Tinubu.
Already the BBC Hausa service, which witnessed the so called distribution of items in Keffi Local Government Area of the state broadcast a report which has ridiculed the image of the Government of Nigeria because of the meager and miserly items given to whole families to feed on!
“The BBC Hausa Service carried reactions of widows, orphans, and the weak who cried out for help against the insult and ridicule the poor have been subjected to by the state government in the name of palliatives distribution.
“The whole process is obviously designed to turn the people against the President and the federal government as the meager items being distributed are blamed on the Federal Government, rather than the criminal diversion of the money given to the state government for this purpose.
‘It is obvious that even if the state government had utilized just N2 Billion a part of the N5 Billion given by the FGN to buy foodstuff for the poor in the state the impact would definitely be felt by the people.
“We are therefore constrained to draw the attention of the federal government to the unwholesome diversion of this money by the state government and the grains that security has since reported have been found being sold in markets.
“The decision of President Tinubu to reduce the hardship of Nigerians in the wake of the subsidy removal has now become an opportunity for the state government to line up the pockets of its officials!
“What is going on in Nasarawa state in the name of palliatives distribution calls for prompt action by President Tinubu to save his name and the reputation of his administration.
“As a party and as a people, we can not fold our arms and watch the good intention of the federal government to go down the drains.”
The PDP called on the federal government to urgently step up its monitoring mechanism to ensure that its pro poor policy is not derailed in Nasarawa state with a concomitant effect on the FCT.
“We suggest a constitution of a special task force made up of workers’ unions and civil society, among others, to handle the distribution of palliatives in Nasarawa state.
“How can a family of more than 10 go home with 2 measures of corn in the face of the kind of hardships we are in? This is what is going on in our state. It is a shame and a scandal, the PDP further queried.
The opposition party in the state urged the Federal Government to set up a distribution committee compressing the NLC, NUJ, Pensioners, ASUU, NCWS, organized CSOs and other critical stakeholders if the Federal Government is serious and concerned with the plight of the people, especially in Nasarawa sttate.
It also called on Tinubu led administration to urgently tackle the involvement of the state government and its handpicked officials in the scandalous distribution of the food items and money, which has been unscrupulously hijack.
The PDP however recalled that throughout the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari the Billions given to Nasarawa state to help the poor ended in the pockets of state government Officials as majority of our people never got anything.
It also alleged that a number of buses were gathered and commissioned by the president under the present administration in the state only for the buses to disappear without trace after the public and media display.
“We have noticed a similar pattern on the matter of these palliatives in the state.
Orogu urged the Tinubu administration to therefore, end this vicious circle of official theft in the name of palliatives in Nasarawa state for the sake of widows, orphans, and the poor!
“It is a pity that the government could divert monies meant for widows, orphans, and the poor. But that is the ugly reality in Nasarawa state.” Orogu concluded.