Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, officially launched the sale of subsidised rice on Thursday, announcing that his administration plans to expand this initiative to include other subsidised food items across all twenty local government areas in the state.
During the ceremony at the Arcade Ground of the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun highlighted that this scheme aims to enhance food accessibility for residents.
He stated, “We will soon be implementing our own 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.”
The Governor outlined that food staples, including garri, rice, and beans, would be made available at significantly reduced prices.
He emphasized that both the federal and state governments are committed to sustainable development through strategic planning that prioritizes inclusiveness, transparency, fairness, and accountability.
He commended the state’s Head of Service and his team for their exemplary efforts.
Prince Abiodun detailed that the distribution of subsidised food items would target various groups, including civil servants at federal and state levels, organized private sector workers, artisans, trade unions, non-governmental organizations, student bodies, market women, and community development associations.
Assuring the populace of equitable distribution, he said, “The office of the Head of Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, along with the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), have developed a well-structured template that would ensure a wide and equitable spread of the commodity across the 20 local government areas of the state.”
The Governor also mentioned that the launch of the subsidised rice sale in Abeokuta for the Ogun Central Senatorial District would be followed by similar launches in Ilaro for Ogun West Senatorial District and Ijebu-Ode for Ogun East Senatorial District.
He urged beneficiaries to maintain orderliness at the sales points and adhere to the schedule set by the committee to prevent overcrowding, assuring that more sales points would be established as necessary. “To ensure accountability, there will be no cash payments; payment will be made through Point of Sales (PoS) machines, and beneficiaries will undergo physical verification at the point of sale,” he noted. He added, “No double registration will be allowed; NIN will be verified to ensure that we prevent any sharp practices. This distribution will be carried out transparently and fairly, ensuring that these palliatives reach those we have targeted.”
Governor Abiodun praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this initiative, describing it as a testament to his commitment to addressing food inflation. He remarked, “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.”
The Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, expressed that the initiative, backed by the Federal Government, aims to improve the livelihood of citizens. The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Mrs. Ayo Ajayi, lauded Ogun State for having the most effective template for the sale of subsidised rice, indicating that the Federal Government would adopt this model in other states.
Senator Kyari asserted that the initiative is designed to alleviate the financial burdens on the populace, noting that verification of the National Identity Number (NIN) and a payment of N40,000 would be required for the subsidised 50 kilograms of rice through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs).
In a show of appreciation, Chief Waheed Oloyede, the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, commended Governor Abiodun for his consistent release of funds for the payment of pensioners’ gratuities. He acknowledged the Governor as a pioneer in embracing the Federal Government’s initiative with the launch of this program.
