PDP Expresses Concern over Alleged Diversion of FG’s Palliatives in Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State at the weekend expressed concern over alleged diversion of rice and maize palliatives meant to cushion the effect of subsidy removal by the federal government, for the people of nine federal constituencies in the state.

The concern, according to the party, was based on the viral video featuring one Hon Dekeri Anamero, House of Representative member representing Etsako federal constituency of Edo State, where he claimed that President Bola Tinubu provided each National Assembly member across the country with at least two trailers of rice for distribution to  their various constituencies in the country.

A statement issued by the Kwara State PDP signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olusegun Adewara, stated that the party was disturbed that none of the members of the nine federal lawmakers in the state have done any distributions to the people of their constituencies since they allegedly collected the palliatives from the federal government.

The statement said: “As a representatives of the people of the nine federal constituencies in Kwara State, the federal lawmakers ought to have come out clean and tell the constituencies of the whereabouts .of the palliatives.”

The party noted that: “It would be a shock of the century if the insinuation that all of them allegedly secretly sold the rice to commercial dealers in Abuja thinking nobody will be aware of it at home.”

The PDP added that the continued silence of the nine members of the National Assembly from the state was no longer golden.

The statement opined that the  unfortunate silence raised suspicions of compromise, suggesting that the allocated rice intended for the people of Kwara federal constituencies may have been diverted and sold to commercial rice dealers in Abuja for their personal gain.

It noted: “Based on the video made by Dekeri, each legislator is said to have allegedly received a minimum of 2,400 bags of rice.

 “Given the current market price of N54,000 per 50kg bag, this implies that each Kwara State legislator may have secretly pocketed N130,000,000 while the nine of them have pocketed about N1.2billon, and if this allegation turned out to be true, it will be an unfortunate betrayal of public trust.

“The federal lawmakers in the state ought to have risen to the sufferings of the people of their constituents in view of the hardships the people occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.”

The PDP, therefore, called for immediate explanations from the APC legislators and demanded transparency in accounting for the federal government’s rice intervention.

The party also said it remained more committed to upholding the principles of accountability, integrity, and service to the people.