In fulfilment of his pledge, the Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, officially launched the highly anticipated sale of subsidised food items on Wednesday, featuring a 50-kilogram bag of rice priced at 38,700 naira.
During the event at the Kware Local Government premises in Kware town, the governor emphasized that the sales would be conducted without any conditions related to political affiliation or social status.
He explained that the state government initiated this program to improve the lives of residents, particularly at the grassroots level, and approved a generous 55% discount on each item. “A 50kg bag of rice will be sold for 38,700 naira, while the 25kg bag will be available for 19,350 naira, and the 10kg bag will be priced at 7,740 naira,” he stated.
The governor also mentioned that the committee overseeing the sales had been instructed to accommodate those who could not afford the larger sizes by offering smaller portions.
“The government is not interested in profiting from these sales. Instead, we plan to open a special account to deposit the proceeds, which will be used to purchase additional foodstuffs for the continuation of this project.”
Dr. Aliyu revealed that the state government had allocated 14.488 billion naira to this initiative, acquiring 280 trailers of rice. Each ward in the state will receive one truck, equivalent to 600 bags of rice.
He expressed gratitude to Senator Aliyu Wamakko, the leader of the party in the state, for his valuable guidance, which he credited as a key factor in the success of his administration.
The governor assured residents that adequate measures had been implemented to ensure the program meets its objectives.
Earlier in the day, Chiso Abdullah Dattijo, the chairman of the committee, assured the governor that the sales would follow all necessary protocols.
Dattijo further noted that with the launch of this initiative, rice is now available for purchase at all designated locations across the 242 wards in the state.
Professor Malami Maishanu, the project coordinator in Kware Local Government from Usman Danfodiyo University, encouraged residents to take advantage of this opportunity provided by the state government, praising the initiative for its focus on benefiting those at the grassroots level.
