…..Should Avoid Failure Of Palliative Funds Implementation
By Julius T. Agom
The President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Chief Godswill Akpabio a few days back on the floor of plenary revealed that the federal government has disbursed the sum of N30 billion to each of the 36 states of the Federation.
The grant, according to the Senate President, is separate from the monthly FAAC allocation to the states and specifically for the purpose of shoring up food security for citizens against biting hardship and spiralling stagflation across the country from the economic downturn occasioned by the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.
Considering the urgency of the situation, Benue people will no doubt welcome this gesture by the federal government, even as there are reservations that the grant ought to have been preceded by detailed plan of action by the various state governments, as assurance that the funds will be utulised to achieve the targeted objective.
Notwithstanding, here is a call on Governor Hyacinth Alia to utilise the food security grant in a manner distinctly different from his handling of the palliatives grant earlier received from the federal government last year.
Governor Alia must tow the course of policy and fiscal discipline this time around by firstly narrowing his implementation focus on food security, thereby avoiding the mishap with the palliative funds which he scattered over just about anything that caught his fancy, with little or no effect in terms of results.
The governor should recognize the urgency of the need to intervene decisively in utilizing those land areas not yet under occupation by Fulani herdsmen to grant-aid massive cultivation of food crops such as cassava, corn, rice and others.
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It is the considered opinion that such an intervention will serve to shore up depleted subsistence food stocks such as dried cassava pellets being sold off by a desperate citizenry under biting economic hardship, thereby leaving families vulnerable to creeping food shortages and imminent starvation.
Governor Alia should carefully craft short, medium and long term approaches to the implementation of the N30 billion food security grant and ensure that this time the envisaged purpose for the funds is achieved by generating positive impact on the every day life of the ordinary Benue man, woman and child.
Julius T. Agom writes from Makurdi, Benue State.
