The Nigerian government’s recent announcement of distributing 20 trucks of rice to each state to mitigate food inflation and general inflation has stirred controversies. Adamawa and Edo states have both denied receiving the said rice.
In Adamawa, the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Iliya James, stated during a press conference in Yola that the state had only received a portion of fertilizer aimed at boosting the current wet season farming, not the 20 trucks of rice claimed by the federal government. James emphasized that while the state has been proactive in distributing relief food items within its resources, it has yet to receive the purported federal allocation of rice.
Similarly, Edo State denied receiving any rice from the federal government. Rev. Olu Martins, the Deputy Director of Media for the Peoples Democratic Party’s campaign organization in the upcoming governorship election, stated that the state did not receive any rice from the federal government or the Aliko Dangote Foundation. Martins pointed out that President Bola Tinubu did not mention in his recent speech that rice had been distributed to any states and questioned through which ministry or agency the rice would have been received if it had been sent.
These denials come amid ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests, which call for an end to bad governance and seek measures to address rising food inflation and general inflation across the country.