The federal government has donated 1,287 metric tonnes of maize and 132 metric tonnes of garri to the Oyo State government for distribution to vulnerable residents.

The director general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, handed over the food items to the state government on behalf of the federal government on Monday in Ibadan.

Ms Umar, represented by the South-West zonal coordinator of NEMA, Adewale Stephen, said the gesture was to provide the necessary support to cushion the economic hardship.

She said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.

“Mr President approved the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted food commodities from the National Strategic Reserve under the custody of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security,” she said.

Ms Umar said 1,287 metric tonnes of maize (25,740 in 50kg bags) and 132 metric tonnes of garri (5,280 in 25kg bags) were allocated to Oyo State and would be shared equally among all the LGAs in the state.

The NEMA boss urged the respective committees assigned the task of distribution to follow the guidelines and template put in place.

In his remarks, Governor Seyi Makinde, represented by his deputy Bayo Lawal, emphasised the gesture’s significance in providing immediate relief and support to vulnerable groups.

Mr Makinde called on the local government chairs to ensure that the committee assigned the task of distributing the food items in their respective councils and strictly adhered to the distribution template.

He said the distribution of the food items would test the new executive chairs’s transparency across the 33 LGAs.

The governor equally highlighted his administration’s proactive measures to enhance social protection frameworks.

He reiterated his unwavering commitment to sustainable development goals and stressed the imperative of building resilient communities through targeted interventions, strategic partnerships, and collaboration.

Mr Makinde further emphasised the importance of collective collaboration in addressing the security challenges, especially in some parts of the state that are largely agrarian, such as the Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, and Oyo geopolitical zones.

He added that without collective efforts, achieving the desired results in the fight against criminal elements such as kidnappers, bandits, and armed robbers would be impossible.

Speaking on behalf of the local government chairmen, Timothy Oyedokun, the executive chairman of Ogbomoso South Local Government, commended the collaboration between the state and federal governments in providing food items.

(NAN)