About 200 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses would be procured by the Niger State Government in December this year to ease transportation difficulties.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago declared this yesterday during a press conference at Government House, Minna.
He explained that 100 of the buses would ply from Minna and Suleja to Abuja, while 50 would be used within the Minna metropolis and its satellite towns, and the remaining 50 would be shared with local governments in the state.
He also announced a three-day public holiday to enable the state to share over five billion naira and other food items as palliatives across the 25 local government areas of the state.
He warned that anyone who diverts palliatives meant to cushion the hardships of the poor will go to jail, adding that the state government would get a warrant to arrest and prosecute anyone caught diverting the palliatives, no matter how highly placed the individuals were.
"Any form of diversion of palliatives, we will use it as an example to jail people. We're going to jail people. We will obtain court summons ahead of deviance ", he said.
He disclosed that the state government only received N2 billion in cash and five trucks of rice from the federal government, explaining that forty thousand bags of maize were expected from the federal government.
He said "To enable everyone to benefit from the palliative, I declare next week's Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as work-free days".
He said the state government would add its own two billion to make four billion pending when the federal government sends the balance, stressing that the government cannot continue to wait while the hardship faced by the people persists.
Furthermore, he announced that former presidents, which include former military presidents, former governors, former ministers, former senators, former members of the House of Representatives, and all former elected or political office holders in their respective constituencies or local governments, among others, are automatic members of the palliative standing committee.
He directed all political appointees, permanent secretaries, and local government council chairmen who are members of the standing committee set up by the state government to return to their wards for the distribution of the palliatives.
According to him, "all former presidents, former governors and their deputies, former SSGs, former national and state lawmakers, traditional rulers, pensioners, and members of all political parties are automatic members of the standing committee.
The Governor further explained that N3.2 billion will be disbursed to the 25 LGA accounts by Monday and that N5.2 billion will be injected into local markets by next week, which would help to force the prices of food items to crash.
He pleaded with the people to be patient with the government, as the hardship being faced will not last for long.
He said that as a long-term plan, the ministries of land and agriculture were directed to provide 10,000 hectares of land in each local government for cultivation.