The Bida Local Government Palliative Committee has been commended for sticking to the template and having a seamless distribution of the food items accordingly.
Hon. Abdulmajid Danlami Yaman, a former PDP councillor who represented Bariki ward in Bida, said he was impressed with the way the team leader, Hon. Suleiman Umar, the Commissioner of Works and Infrastructural Development, exhibited leadership quality. Hon. Yaman disclosed this yesterday at Bida Town Hall, where the Committee flagged off the distribution of the palliative for the Bariki Ward.
He said the level of transparency displayed by the committee was highly commendable, as all the ward committee members were carried along.
In his address, the team lead, Hon. Suleiman Umar, said a monitoring committee was set up at the local government level to supervise the activities of the unit committee members.
He pleaded for the total cooperation and understanding of the people of Bida, disclosing that no man can share anything with the people in society perfectly; however, their target was that the beneficiaries should be more than those who might not be so lucky.
The Commissioner of Works and Infrastructural Development disclosed that the palliative was meant to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal temporarily, especially for the most downtrodden in society, adding that, however, the government of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago was designing a programme that would enable the citizens to feed themselves.
He said the state government was already taking steps such as the Bida Ring Road, Minna township road projects, conversion of the Shiroro Hotel to the IBBU Teaching Hospital project, redevelopment of Three Arms Zone, and others to create job opportunities for our teeming youth roaming around the corners of the state.
Hon. Suleiman then warned the various committees not to shortchange the template given to them as a comprehensive report would be filed after the exercise.
In his goodwill message, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties, Dr. Murtala Bagana, admonished the unit committee members to distribute the items with the fear of Allah, as they would be asked to account for their deeds.
He said that the committee's priority was to ensure the food items got to targeted beneficiaries, adding that widows, the physically challenged, and the less privileged must be carried along.
Hon. Sadiq Umar, a former member of the Niger State House Assembly who represented the Bida South constituency, pleaded with the beneficiaries to give their maximum support and cooperation to the sharing committee when they ask for their details, such as phone numbers, as the monitoring committee or even Governor Bago may decide to call them to inquire about them.
Five kg of rice and four wraps of spaghetti were given to the beneficiaries, and at the time of filing this report, all 14 wards in Bida had a successful flagged-off ceremony.