Secretary to the Cross River State Government, Prof Anthony Owan-Eno has disclosed that the state has secured an additional N500 million for the palliatives committee to purchase more commodities to cushion the effects of hard times occasioned in part, by the removal of petroleum subsidy.
Owan-Eno disclosed this in a press statement where he listed the distributions of the bags of rice to different groups as follows: Students 1000 bags, Religious Groups 800, Traditional Rulers 400, Trade Unions 300, Labour Unions 800, Civil Servants 800 and Persons Living With Disabilities 200.
Others are Motherless Babies Homes, 200, IDPs 800, Refugees 800, Pensioners 800, Support Groups/IPAC 1100, Security 500 and National Youth Council 100.
The Director General of the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Ogeyi Odey, also confirmed that the Agency has received the commodities and that distributions will begin next week in all parts of the state.
Odey explained that the Agency has already listed how to cover the entire 18 LGAs, adding that any group not in the present approved list will surely be captured after now.
The SEMA boss added that the state’s warehouses, destroyed during the EndSARS protests in 2020 have been fitted with big iron doors to protect the supplies.
Odey denied that she is under any pressure from government and ruling APC officials, traditional rulers or politicians to divert the palliatives.
She said she has enough security cover at the various warehouses in the state and such that will sustain the distributions.
“It is not true that I am under any pressure from anybody. No government, traditional chieftain or party bigwigs has put me under pressure to favour them.
“I only take instructions from the State Governor and he has since approved how the palliatives should go.
“Anybody or groups not yet captured can get to the governor and he will advise me accordingly”, she maintained.
