Abia: Group coutions against hoarding, diversion of FG palliatives

By Mandy Park

Socially relevant and need-meeting civil society group, Abia Renaissance Movement (ARM) has cautioned against hoarding, diversion of FG palliatives by Abia govt officials.

The organisation also frowned on the delay by the government in distributing the palliatives allocated to states by the federal government, stressing that Abians are beginning to express worry that the items might end up being hoarded and diverted by officials of the government.

The group expressed their concern in a statement signed by its Convener, Comrade Ukachukwu Chinonso and Secretary-General, Comrade Mrs. Maria Nwokoma.

ARM alleged that such delay might not be unconnected to allegations making the rounds in the state that officials of Abia government are planning to hoard and divert the palliative cash and materials meant for the people.

“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.

Part of the statement reads “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”,

It would be 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.

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