Subsidy Removal: FG Approves N5bn Palliative For Each State, FCT

The Federal Government has approved N5bn for each state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to allow them to procure food items for distribution to the poor in their respective states.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State revealed this at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting.

Thursday’s development comes in between the increase in the cost of food items, and petroleum as a result of the removal of subsidy on the commodity.

In addition to the fund, Zulum stated that the Federal Government also released five trucks of rice each to the 36 state governors.

He further said that the state governors are to procure 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize, and fertilizers.

He noted that 52 percent of the funds were given to the state governments as grants while 48% is as loans.

It organized a committee, that consists of the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo; the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman of Kwara State among others, tasked with the responsibility of engaging with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the latter’s push for palliatives due to the subsidy removal.