By Iheanyi Enwerem…
The much orchestrated N57.8bn approved for Nigerians by the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu has started to raise dust in parts of Imo State, especially in Okigwe zone where some youths alleged that the rice palliative supposedly bought with their share of the money has not reached any household.
IKORO OKIGWE reporter interviewed some of the youths at Isiala Mbano and Onuimo Local Government Areas respectively said that these youths who pleaded anonymity for fear of being victimized alleged that the national assembly members collected between N200m and N100m each for purchase of rice foodstuff which must be distributed to indigent homes for purposes of cushioning the hardships being expressed by several homes as a result of the federal governments removal of fuel subsidy, as situation that has skyrocketed the price of commodities especially essential foodstuffs.
But in a swift reaction in a telephone chat with IKORO OKIGWE, Senator Patrick Ndubueze representing Imo North at the Upper Chambers of the national assembly refuted the idea of their collecting either money or rice commodity for distribution to their constituents but admitted that they were simply asked to make a budget for that purpose.
Senator Ndubueze went further to say that the money for the purchase of the rice palliative can come in no distant time adding that if there is any assembly member that has already distributed the Tinubu rice palliative in Imo State, it means that he must have used his personal funds to execute that, hoping to recoup his money whenever the federal government releases the allocation.
The federal lawmaker, who is serving his first tenure at the Senate advised his constituents to remain calm adding that government business can experience some bureaucratic bottlenecks before they are executed.
