A’Ibom: NEMA hands over 24,180 bags of maize, 5,180 bags of garri

The Federal Government through the National Emergency Management Agency  (NEMA) has handed over 24,180 bags of 50kg maize and 5, 828 bags of 25kg garri to Akwa Ibom Government for onward distribution to vulnerable persons in the state.

The Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said this on Wednesday while handing over the food items to the state government in Uyo.

Umar, represented by Mrs Mmandu Aisueni, State Head of Operations of NEMA in Akwa Ibom, said the exercise fulfilled President Bola Tinubu’s promise to reduce the impact of the current economic downturn in the country.

She said that the commodities should be shared in the communities through constituted Committees in each Local Government.

She directed that membership of the Committee in each LGA should be made up of the Chairman of the Council, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and a traditional ruler, among others.

The DG explained that 20 per cent of the food items due for each LGA should be given to religious organisations (JNI & CAN) and three per cent to be given to boarding schools in the LGAs, stressing that each LGAs should receive equal items.

“Mr President approved the release of 42,000MT of assorted food commodities from the National Strategic Reserve under the Custody of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMoA&FS).

“The assorted food commodities include; maize, millet, sorghum, and garri.

“After sharing the commodities and successfully transporting the quantities allocated to Akwa Ibom State.

“Today, we are here to hand over the food items to the State Government for distribution to the deserving beneficiaries in the communities through the constituted Committees in each LGA. 

“It is worthy of note that based on the allocation table, Akwa Ibom State has been allocated: 1,209 MT of maize (24,180 bags of 50kg) and 145.1 MT of garri (5, 828 bags of 25kg),” Umar said.

Dr Offiong Offor, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in the State, who received the commodities on behalf of the state government thanked the President for his interventions to the plights of the vulnerable in the country.

Offor said that President Tinubu through his Renewed Hope Agenda had stopped at nothing in providing staple food to the people, to mitigate the impact of high cost of food items in the country.

She said the state government would ensure that the food items get to the appropriate beneficiaries accordingly.