In a bid to alleviate the economic challenges facing vulnerable individuals, 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 the Akwa Ibom government for distribution across the state.
The food items were officially presented to the state government on Thursday, September 12, 2024, in Uyo by the director general of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, represented by Mrs. Mmandu Aisueni, the agency’s Head of Operations in Akwa Ibom. During the handover ceremony, Umar emphasised that the exercise was part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reducing the impact of the current economic downturn in the country.
“These commodities are to be distributed through the constituted committees in each local government area (LGA),” said Umar. She further outlined that the committees responsible for overseeing the distribution must include the LGA chairman, representatives from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and a traditional ruler, among others.
The distribution plan also directs that 20 percent of the food allocated to each LGA will be distributed to religious organizations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), while 3 percent will go to boarding schools within the LGAs. All LGAs will receive equal portions of the donated items.
“Mr. President approved the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted food commodities from the National Strategic Reserve under the custody of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMoA&FS),” Umar stated, adding that the distributed items include maize, millet, sorghum, and garri.
