Pegasus Reporters News on the Wing
“If it is impossible, do not force yourself to do it. We are not hungry or starving here. I will like to return this rice so they can give it to Dapo Abiodun to hand it over to his boss, Tinubu, who instructed him to do this. They should give it to their children. We are not hungry, and God will not make us starve.”
*Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | OCTOBER 15, 2023
The community development association (CDA) chairman of Sokeye Estate in Ogun State has shamed Dapo Abiodun, the state governor, over a 25 kg bag of rice sent to him as a palliative for the Sokoye estate which houses 147 families, and tenants.
The CDA chairman who expressed his grievances towards the governor in a viral video on Saturday, accused accused the governor of insulting the people of Sokeye Estate and publicly rejected the palliative.
“If you want to give us palliatives, don’t insult us. This is an insult. Sokeye Estate refuses to be insulted,” he said.
Video of Sokeye Estate Chairman Returning Palliative Given to His Estate by the Government. Source: X
“I was just at home, and they brought this for me as palliative for the whole of Sokeye Estate. In this estate, we have 147 houses with families and tenants living there. I’m confused; I don’t know how to share this with 147 households in Sokeye Estate.
“If you guys, the government, I’m talking to Dapo Abiodun now. If you people know you cannot do something, don’t do it. We are not beggars, so we don’t need your rice as a palliative. This is not even up to one bag. We don’t need your rice as a palliative.
“If it is impossible, do not force yourself to do it. We are not hungry or starving here. I would like to return this rice so they can give it to Dapo Abiodun to hand it over to his boss, Tinubu, who instructed him to do this. They should give it to their children. We are not hungry, and God will not make us starve.”
It will be recalled that the federal government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has given each state in the federation a sum of N5 billion naira to ameliorate the hardship presently occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidies on petroleum products.
However, while some state in the north like Borno, Kebbi, and Sokoto state has shown concern by utilizing the fund, most state in Southern Nigeria and the middle belt have been notorious for short-changing the masses and not showing enough concern for the masses. This has led to angst against the federal government of President Tinubu who is constantly being blamed for the economic hardship in the country.
Ogun State government had earlier announced that it has begun the distribution of 300,000 bags of rice to its residents as part of a nationwide effort to mitigate the impact of petrol subsidy removal.
An investigation by Pegasus Reporters shows that most communities in Lagos and Ogun state similarly got the 10kg bag usually sent to the community head or traditional chieftains. In Lagos State, a few individuals, austensibly as representatives of their communities were given their measures in cups of derica, usually 2 cups. In most of the local government created centres in the state, we observed that you have to give a bribe to someone to be able to get just 2 cup measures. Meanwhile, it’s not an uncommon sight to find in markets, mostly women who are related to government official selling the products at reduced prices to fellow Nigerians.
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It’s such a terrible situation. Here in Lagos, precisely Ikeja local government, a colleague of mine, who though not an APC member received a package because his sister who happened to be an APC stalwart submitted his name and they brought a package for him free. While the rest of others were equally given but you need to pay N2500 to get a package. That’s how it went here.
The federal government has its blame. Since the palliatives are refundable within two years time frame, the governors will never be sincere with the disbursement. Even the ones in the northern states are still the same scam. How long will the package sustain an household? Whaqt we bring to ourselves before the rest of the world is unimaginable.
Truly speaking, this is not the Nigeria we use to know. Something must be done urgently to arrest and contain this ugly and unbearable trend.