On Thursday, the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, launched the sale of Federal Government-subsidised rice in the state.
Speaking at the event held at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Abiodun announced plans to extend the sale of other subsidized foodstuffs, such as garri and beans, across all 20 local government areas in the state.
“We will soon be implementing our version of this scheme from each local government, meaning we will implement this across the twenty local government areas of the state to deepen the reach into our grassroots,” Abiodun said.
“We will be selling food items like garri, rice, and beans at heavily subsidized prices.”
The governor emphasized that the initiative, supported by federal and state governments, aims to promote sustainable development through inclusiveness, transparency, fairness, and accountability.
He praised the state’s Head of Service and team for their efforts in rolling out the program and assured citizens that the distribution would cover a wide range of groups, including civil servants, trade unions, market women, student bodies, and traditional and religious organizations.
Abiodun also assured residents that the distribution would be transparent, with payments made through Point of Sales (PoS) machines and beneficiaries undergoing physical verification to prevent fraud.
“No double registration will be allowed; NIN will be verified to ensure that we prevent any sharp practices,” he said. The governor added that the program would launch in Ogun West and Ogun East senatorial districts soon.
He also commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating the subsidized food program, describing it as a testament to the president’s commitment to tackling food inflation.
“If the sale and distribution of petroleum products were not liberalized by the government, it would have cost the country over N11 trillion in a year,” Abiodun added.
The state’s Head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, noted that the initiative is powered by the Federal Government to improve citizens’ livelihoods. At the same time, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, praised Ogun for having the best template for the sale of subsidized rice, which other states would follow.
Kyari explained that the process involves the verification of National Identity Numbers and payment of N40,000 for a subsidized 50-kilogram bag of rice via an Automatic Teller Machine
In his remarks, Waheed Oloyede, state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, applauded Governor Abiodun for his continued commitment to settling pensioners’ gratuities and for being the first to implement the Federal Government’s subsidized rice program.
