By Nudoiba Ojen
Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has begun the second phase of the distribution of palliatives to the people of the state.
Items billed for distribution in the second phase included 24,000 bags of rice; 14,040 bags of maize; 3,440 bags of garri; 170 tricycles, tillers and canoes.
The governor said, “For food items, the target is majorly the needy and the vulnerable in the society, while for agriculture implements and inputs, they are for farming purposes. It should be noted that all the items that are being distributed under this second phase were jointly funded by the Federal and Ondo State governments”.
Aiyedatiwa noted that the initiative is a testament to his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the people of the state.
Expressing his concerns over issues of rising costs of food items, Governor Aiyedatiwa stressed that his administration is committed to regular interventions and activities towards alleviating sufferings and ensuring improved food supply in the State.
The Governor called on the Iya-lojas, Baba-lajes, farmers associations, transport management bodies and all other production and trade organisations in the state to encourage their members to start bringing down prices of food, goods and services.
Governor Aiyedatiwa added that the Agriculture and Food Security Committee was constituted with specific mandate to ensure that food insecurity becomes a thing of the past in Ondo State, stressing that the Committee earlier distributed tonnes of maize to livestock farmers and other individuals after the flag-off for the first phase of distribution in April this year.
The Governor charged the Distribution Committee in each local government and other groups to be fair, transparent and accountable in carrying out the assignment, which he said must not be politicized.
Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, Mr Olayato Aribo, stated that food security is one of the primary assignments of any government, urging the benefiting of the palliatives to make judicious use of the items.
It would be recalled that in April, Governor Aiyedatiwa flagged off the first phase of the palliatives which included grains and agricultural implements to farmers across the state.
