COVID-19: ''They are infested'' Oyo state government to return 1,800 bags of rice donated by FG as palliatives

The Oyo state government says it is currently in the process of returning the 1800 bags of rice the Federal government donated to the state as palliatives to cushion the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Executive Assistant to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande, explained that the 1,800 bags of rice from the Federal Government were infested with weevil and not suitable for consumption. The bags of rice were received from the state Federal government on Monday, April 20th as palliatives.“We received these items from the Federal Government via the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and we brought them to the warehouse. It was in the process of further inspection that we discovered that the rice had been infested with weevils. On that basis, we formed a committee to re-inspect it so we can be sure of what we have received. We don’t want to create another problem while providing a solution to another one. We have inspected it; we have done random selection and we have seen that similar things apply across the board. We have agreed to return them to the source but if there are good ones with good quality that could be sent to us as a replacement, we will be glad to receive them.” he said. Recall that early this month, President Buhari directed the Nigeria Customs Service to release One hundred and Fifty trucks of rice that have been seized from smugglers over a period of time. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development have been distributing these bags of rice to different states which would, in turn, distribute to the poor and vulnerable in the society.