The Presidency has said the Federal Government is prepared to oversee at the state level the allocation of mitigation funds to Nigerians aimed at softening the impact of subsidy removal.
Ajuri Ngelale, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Assistant for Media and Publicity, announced on Channels Television’s Political Today program on Friday.
Ngelale said:
“It is fair to say that there does not need to be a check. There needs to be a means of monitoring which is why federal regulators are involved; which is why we have put in place the palliatives distribution.”
The Federal Government allocated N5 billion so that the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) can procure food for distribution to the poor in their respective states.
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum made the announcement shortly after a National Economic Council (NEC) meeting held at the presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
READ ALSO: N185bn Subsidy Palliative Less Than A Cup of Rice Per Nigerian – NLC
Before then, Tinubu’s spokesperson acknowledged the potential for bad eggs in the payment process, adding that the President would enforce a “bottom-up approach.”
He said:
“So, what we are doing now is this: yes, the state government is being empowered to the extent that they are implementing some of the palliatives that we are talking about with respect to the delivery of rice and maize to communities across the states and other supplements that are well known by now.
“But what we are also doing is that from the federal end, we are ensuring that these funds are not just giveaway grants that don’t have to be paid back. First of all, it’s a loan facility.
“We Have To Trust Them’
senate-labour-
Organised labour is pushing for a reduction in the pump price of petroleum among others.”
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