The Governor of Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum, says his government has disbursed N450 million to 45,000 widows and vulnerable women in the state as a form of palliative support.
This was disclosed via his Facebook page on Sunday, July 28, 2024.
Borno is a core northern region that has been at the epicenter of terrorist activities, military operations, and humanitarian crises.
The Governor explained that his team visited Monguno Local Government, where they distributed over N450 million to 45,000 widows and vulnerable women.
According to the Governor, the distribution of palliatives by his administration was not intended to make them ever-dependent on government but to support families that have lost their livelihoods due to the Boko Haram crisis in Borno State.
“We have also distributed N10,000 in cash support and a wrapper to each of the over 45,000 widows and vulnerable women in Monguno town,” he added.
The Governor praised the federal government for supporting the people of Borno State through the provision of food items and grains.
The statement noted that he supervised the distribution of food items and agricultural inputs to over 35,000 households in Monguno Local Government Area in the northern part of the state.
Each of the 35,000 beneficiaries received 25kg bag of rice and cowpeas to help them cultivate their farmlands, according to the statement.
He stressed that he distributed seeds to the people, as many of them do not have the means to purchase farm inputs.
He said, “On behalf of the people of Borno State, I want to appreciate the federal government for this laudable gesture.”
“We are in Monguno town mainly for two purposes: first, to distribute food items provided to the government of Borno State by the federal government. Twenty trucks of rice were given to us, and this morning, we distributed all of them to this community.
“The federal government has also provided 90 trucks of fertilizer to the state government for free distribution to our farmers.”
TheWitness had previously reported that when the Nigerian customs began distributing seized bags of rice to Nigerians at discounted prices, the exercise resulted in a stampede that forced it to be halted.
In addressing the food crisis, President Bola Tinubu directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to immediately release about 42,000 metric tons of maize, millet, and other commodities from the national strategic reserves.
The target population includes the less privileged residing across the 774 Local Government Areas of the nation.
The leading agency in this distribution is the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which focuses on disaster management throughout Nigeria.
