By Usman Aliyu
THE PEOPLE’s Democratic Party (PDP) says Edo Government has not received any rice from the Federal Government or Dangote Foundation.
Olu Martins, Deputy Director-General, Media and Publicity, PDP Governorship Campaign Council for Edo, said this at a news conference on Monday in Benin.
Martins denied claims by Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North Senatorial District, that the state government received 20 trucks of rice from the Federal Government and 30,000 bags from Dangote Foundation.
Oshiomhole, a former governor, said the rice were those looted during the nationwide protest that started on August 1 in Benin.
Martin said Oshiomhole’s allegations about distribution and redistribution of rice by the Federal Government to the state government were not correct.
“As a former governor, we believed he should understand how the wheel of government runs. When the President issued his statement on Sunday, there was no mention of palliative as per rice going into 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 APC claimed, it should come from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
“If 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 said.
Martins described Oshiomhole’s claims as “heart-breaking” and accused him of “crying wolf” and trying to incite the looting of private warehouses.
According to him, Edo Government has released N1 billion to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to buy and distribute bags of rice, which was managed by church and mosque leaders.
He said the state government had a food support programme set up three months ago, and that any reports of food coming from elsewhere was mere speculation.
“No 20 trucks of rice were received. There is no rice anywhere from the Federal Government,” he said. (NAN)
