The Abia State Government has clarified that it has not received 20 trucks of rice as palliatives from the Federal Government.
According to the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, no such palliative has arrived in the state, nor has there been any communication from the Federal Government regarding this matter.
Kanu dismissed reports suggesting that the Federal Government distributed 50kg bags of rice to states for sale at N40,000 as false.
“We haven’t received any trucks of rice from the Federal Government, and the claim of selling 50kg bags of rice for N40,000 is fake news,” Kanu stated.
“We don’t engage in rumors and speculations. The federal government has a specific way of communicating with us regarding palliatives, and no such message has been received.”
When asked whether the state government should proactively reach out to the Federal Government to verify the news, Kanu said it was unnecessary.
“There is no reason for us to waste time trying to verify the news. If it were true, we would have received official communication directly from the Federal Government. That hasn’t happened.”
Regarding the state government’s efforts to ease the economic hardship on Abia residents, Kanu emphasized that the government focuses on empowering people with skills in addition to providing palliatives. “We believe in teaching the people how to fish,” he said.
