Abia: Group warns against hoarding, diversion of FG palliatives by govt officials
By Emma Ogbuehi
A civil society organisation, Abia Renaissance Movement (ARM) warned against hoarding, diversion of FG palliatives by Abia govt officials.
The group in making the call, frowned upon the delay by the government in distributing the palliatives allocated to states by the federal government, adding that Abians are beginning to express worry that the items might end up being hoarded and diverted by officials of the government.
ARM expressed the concern in a statement signed by its Convener, Comrade Ukachukwu Chinonso and its Secretary-General, Comrade Mrs. Maria Nwokoma.
It alleged that such delay might not be unconnected to allegations which are now rife in the state that government officials are planning to hoard and divert the palliative cash and materials meant for the people.
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“We wish to state categorically clear that such acts will not be tolerated by Abians. We are ready to mobilise the people against such acts if the state government does not do the needful in the next few days.
“We are shocked that while other states have since commenced the palliative distribution exercise to their people, our own government in Abia is still toying with her citizens and even making life harder under one guise or the other.
“Our people are hungry and dying. It is unconscionable for anyone to try to play politics with what has been sent to them to alleviate their hardship. We shall not tolerate such act of wickedness any longer and we shall resist any further attempt to shortchange our people by officials who have shown by their speeches, body language and actions in the last three months that their purpose of being in government is for the primitive accumulation of our commonwealth”, the release stated in parts.
Recall that the federal government recently announced the disbursement of N5bn palliative in cash and materials to each state of the federation for immediate distribution to the people especially the vulnerable to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on them.
Each state is expected to use the fund to procure 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize and fertilizer to be shared to the citizens, among other prescriptions.
