• Says poor, elderly, vulnerable will get free allocation
• Customs begins sale of seized items at N10,000 for 25kg, others nationwide
Ogun State said it had purchased 100 trucks of rice to be sold at cheaper rates to residents of the state to cushion the effect rise in prices of goods in the country.
The state governor, Dapo Abiodun, gave the hint during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Abiodun said that the rice would be subsidised and made available at the rate it was before the recent astronomical rise in the prices of the commodities.
He said that the poor, elderly, and the vulnerable would enjoy free allocation.
The governor, who assured the people of Ogun State that President Bola Tinubu is fully in charge and knows what he is doing, said the President was on top of the situation, adding that Nigerians will soon start seeing the manifestation of the several policies put in place to curtail the rising inflation.
He said that women and the elderly would benefit from free medical care with insurance cards worth
N18,000.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday, said it had commenced the sale of seized rice to Nigerians nationwide at N10,000 for a 25kg bag.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who disclosed this during the flag off of the sales, yesterday, in Yaba, Lagos, said the initiative was part of NCS ongoing commitment to safeguarding food security and ensuring availability of essential food items in the country.
He said the NCS had secured approval from the government to dispose of these seized food items to needy Nigerians at discounted prices.
Adeniyi said the criteria to benefit from the initiative include having a verifiable National Identification Number (NIN).
The Customs boss warned that the items should not be resold, as the Service takes a strong stance against any form of profiteering or exploitation of the initiative.
He, however, urged Nigerians to report any unauthorised resale of the seized food items, as the NCS is fully committed to transparency and accountability.
