The Senator representing Anambra Central senatorial district, Victor Umeh, has hailed President Bola Tinubu on policies he has introduced, especially, the palliatives to the indigent homes in the country, but says the masses need more to survive.
The former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), spoke at the week-end at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church Adazi Nnukwu, Anaocha local government area, while distributing over 124 metric tons of rice to his constituents in seven local government areas.
The seven local government areas are Anaocha, Njikoka, Dunukofia, Awka North, Awka South, Idemili North and Idemili South.
The Labour Party’s senator said the idea of rice palliative by the president was a good one to alleviate the sufferings of the people, especially the less privileged, adding that it would be better to introduce other things like job creation.
Addressing the representatives of the local government areas/wards, Umeh said the rice palliatives were the federal government/National Assembly palliatives programme; an emergency supply of food items during Christmas.
He said the contract came late and therefore was not executed and the government did not give money to the contractors.
He counselled that the palliatives were not only for LP members but for the poor in the constituency.
He debunked speculations on social media that he was given cash of N200m or N450m for such palliatives.
Umeh noted: “I was not given SHISHI by anybody for this and no Senator was given any such money by the federal government.”
However, he thanked the federal government for the rice palliatives, while urging the government to go beyond such palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Nigeria.
Umeh said: “I welcome the palliatives because I can feel the pulse of the people having been here (Anambra) for one month now with the people. They need food; they need succour. These palliatives are a very small temporary measure.
“It goes no long way in solving the hardship in Nigeria. That’s why I’m saying the government should go beyond these palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Nigeria. Let the government tackle the distress in the economy.
“So if you read these things you will know that the economy is in distress, so palliatives are good but they are very temporary measures.
“The government should look for ways of engaging people, creating employment and giving people the opportunity to put their hands in productive ventures instead of giving someone rice which they will eat and continue to complain.
“So government should go beyond the palliatives and restructure the economy of Nigeria; that is what I think should be done.
“This is a federal government National Assembly palliatives programme; an emergency supply of palliative, food items during Christmas but the contract came late; it was not executed and the government did not give money to the contractors.
“The condition is that if you (contractors) can supply you come and put your claim and the government will pay you so it is very difficult to execute but because the contractor that was given Anambra Central Senatorial District could source money and I discussed with him, I said come and buy this rice from Anambra State; don’t go and bring it from outside.
He said: “The producers are in Anambra State so it took us about few weeks to get it ready and today it’s being distributed, that is why the representative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that awarded the contract is on the ground today to see what we have done.
“Like I said, it is 124 metric tons of rice, which is 124,000 kilogrammes of rice. What we have here on the ground is 129,000 kilogrammes of rice; so we surpass by 5000 kilogrammes according to the contract.
“Despise that, last Christmas I shared 626 bags of 50kg rice and about 600 bags of 25kg rice and marched it with some cash support to the people of Anambra Central as my palliatives and as a Senator, I spent over N40m million in that exercise in addition to what government has done.
“So, this program is good but it does not solve the problem to be sincere with you, the government has to go beyond this, and create employment and job opportunities for the citizens.”
Meanwhile, Umeh promised his constituency that he would re-launch his education scheme to give scholarships to no fewer than 200 students in his constituency in March.
Umeh who said 76 university students in his scholarship scheme recently had all graduated, stated that he had trained no fewer than 400 persons in similar circumstances while assuring that other empowerments, apart from the education sector, would take place soon.
