In view of the current economic hardship faced by its residents, the Nasarawa State Government has ordered the distribution of rice across the 13 Local Government Areas .
Mr Ibrahim Angbolo, state Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lafia.
According to him, the rice and other relief materials would serve as parts of short term measures to cushion the hardship being faced by the people, occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.
He further stated that the government has also rolled out more plans to alleviate the suffering of people and has since began the payment of N10,000 wage award to the state civil servants across board and N5,000 to pensioners.
”Plans are also underway by the government under the leadership of Gov Abdullahi Sule, to pay palliative to vulnerable people who are not on the payroll of the state,” he said.
Angbolo said that as part of the long term measures to ensure food security, the state government had inaugurated sales of fertilisers and farm inputs at subsidised price to dry season farmers.
He said that the state government had also inaugurated the second phase of the conditional cash transfer of N7,000 stipends for the indigent, including widows, orphans and the elderly.
“Given the prevailing economic realities, the state government has reviewed the amount upwards from N5,000 to N7,000 and also increase the number of beneficiaries from 3,800 to 6,000,” he said.
Angbolo, while assuring the citizens of the administration’s sincerity of purpose and unflinching commitment to good governance, urged the people to remain calm and supportive of the government as more measures would be in place to ameliorate the current economic hardship.
“This administration under the leadership of Gov Abdullahi Sule, is committed and determined to see to the welfare and wellbeing of the citizenry, government will leave no stone unturned to achieve that.
“The governor recently flagged off the sale of fertilizers and farm inputs at a subsidised rate for farmers; yesterday, the governor inaugurated the second phase of domesticated conditional transfer to the vulnerable,” he said.
The commissioner said that the governor meant well for the state and needed the supports and cooperation of the citizens to continue to provide good governance. .
