From Yakubu Mustapha Minna
NIger state governor, Mohammed Umar Bago has warned those to be involved in the distribution of the state N5.2 billion worth of palliative that divert items will go to jailed to serve as deterrent to others.
The Governor handed down the warning at his maiden press conference in Minna the state capital, while he dragged the two former military presidents in to sharing of palliative to ensure transparency in the distribution.
Accoding to him all former Presidents Vice Presidents former Governor’s and their Deputies SSG”s former members of National and State House of Assemblies traditional rulers and pensioners abd members of all politcal parties are automatic members of the standing Committees.
Bago declared a three day public holiday for the distribution of palliative to all the twenty five local government councils in the state which commences from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week.
The governor however directed all politcal appointees Permanent Secretaries and Local Government Councils Chairman who are members of standing Committees set up by the state government to return to their ward for the distribution of palliative.
He hinted that they have already recieved two billion naira with five trucks of rice while forty thousand bags of maize are being awaited in addition to expecting two billion naira from the Federal Government.
The Governor further explained that three point two billion naira will be dusbursed to the twenty five local government councils account this monday saying that five point two billion naira will be injected into local markets next week which would helped to force prices of food items to crashed.
Governor Bago added that they plan to employ one million people in the the agricultural sector through farming to ensure the amelioration the impact of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.