Posted by According to the Katsina State Government, the state only received N2 billion from the federal government’s palliative programme, not the N5 billion as was previously reported. This money was used to purchase cereals, which were then distributed to the state’s citizens.
Mr. Bala Salisu-Zango, the state’s commissioner of information, culture, and home affairs, told reporters at a conference on Wednesday that the money had been used to buy aid for the afflicted people of the state and that more aid was being distributed.
Zango said the federal government’s original plan was to spend N5 billion on buying rice, maize, and fertilizer and then distributing it to the states.
However, after discussions with governors, it was determined that the money should go directly to the states to speed up the procurement process and stimulate local businesses.
The decision to gradually distribute the cash to the states was made so that they might be used for the purchase of rice and maize.
He also said the money would be given to the states as a soft loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria, with the federal government repaying 52% and the states repaying 48% over the course of a year.
Zango claims that Governor Dikko Radda has ordered the expenditure of the N2 billion received to purchase 40,000 bags of rice for distribution to all voting places in the state.
The Information Commissioner for the State of Katsina explained that this comes after Governor Radda issued an order for all local government councils in the state to acquire and distribute corn to inhabitants for free.
Zango also advised locals to be calm, promising them that the state administration would purchase and distribute corn as soon as the next round of cash arrived from the federal government.