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The Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, has warned officials handling the distribution of the palliative items against diversion, just as she placed curse on any defaulters of the palliative items designed for the rural poor.
The minister, who gave this stern warning during the inspection of palliative items for Kwali Area Council, also charged relevant stakeholders to be transparent in the discharge of their responsibilities, stressing that the programme is community based.
“Irrespective of tribe or religion, everyone that is representing his or her own group here must know that you are the eyes of your group. If you compromise, posterity will judge you. You must stand for your people and make sure that they are served.
“I beg you in the name of God, if you eat this food, you are indirectly inviting coronavirus to your homes. I swear, if you are not eligible and you divert these items, you will eat coronavirus. It is not food for campaign and not for you to do charity for your family members.
“If you want to do charity, go to the market and buy your own materials for charity. This palliatives are from the Federal Capital Territory Administration as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to be distributed to the poor to cushion the effect of sit-at-home order.
“It is a community based programme, we want the community to own it but you can support us by obeying the rules, better still by sitting at home. We want the real data of beneficiaries by marking the houses because we don’t want to work on estimated figures. Do it the same way we conduct our census,” she said.
Aliyu used the occasion to reveal that there are strong allegations of trucks load of destitute being taken from other states to the Federal Capital Territory to participate in the sharing of the palliative items, adding that the authority will resist such attempt for the benefit of residents.
“An information got to us last night that trucks and peak-up vans carrying destitute came to flood our suburbs in order to benefit from our palliative items. This is a cry to our residents, royal fathers, religious leaders and civil society organisations to blow whistle whenever you notice such thing because there is no inter-state business in the distribution of palliatives. Let every state carry his own cross because FCT is not a dumping ground,” she noted.
Receiving the items on behalf of the council, chairman of Kwali Area Council, Hon Danladi Chiya, thanked the minister for her diligence in the discharge of her duties, just as he pledged to disburse the items equitably.
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