The Abia State Government says it is yet to receive the 20 trucks of rice as a palliative from the Federal Government.
On July 15, the Federal Government said it distributed 20 trucks of rice each to the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, no such assistance has arrived in the state, and there has been no official communication from the Federal Government regarding the matter.
News About Nigeria reports that Prince Kanu dismissed reports that the Federal Government had distributed 50-kg bags of rice to states for sale at N40,000 as false information.
“We didn’t see any trucks of rice from the Federal Government. And the issue of selling a 50-kg bag of rice for N40,000 is fake news.
”We don’t deal with rumours and speculations. There has been a way the federal government communicates with us when it has to do with palliatives, and no such message has come from the federal government,” he said.
He said that the state government does not engage with unsubstantiated claims and relies on official communication channels.
When asked if the state government should not have sought clarification from the federal government on the issue, Prince Kanu stated that it was unnecessary.
He stated that if the information were genuine, the state government would have received official notification from the federal government, which did not happen.
In response to a question about the state government’s efforts to mitigate the effects of economic hardship on Abia residents, Prince Kanu explained that the government focuses on empowering citizens with skills, in addition to providing palliatives.
