APC, Customs Tackle Makinde Over Plan To Return FG’s Rice

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The All Progressives Congress and the Nigerian Customs Services, Oyo/Osun Area Command, on Saturday described as untrue claims by the Oyo State Government that the 1,800 bags of rice distributed to the state as a palliative by the Federal Government were infested with weevils and not good for human consumption.

They said the bags of rice were still good and had not been infested with anything harmful as claimed by the state governor, Mr Seyi Makinde.

The APC alleged that the state government politicized the Federal Government’s palliative to the state.

The party, in a statement on Saturday, by its Publicity Secretary, AbdulAzeez Olatunde, said, “This is another point to buttress our observations of unnecessary politicking of COVID-19 pandemic by the Oyo State Government.”

Also, the Public Relations Officer, NSC, Oyo/Osun Area Command, Abdullahi Musa,  said the fact that there were weevils in some of the bags of rice did not mean that the whole bags of rice were not good for consumption.

Musa said, “The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness, Dr. Debo Akande, together with the Special Adviser to the governor on Security, Fatai Owoseni, had earlier come to our office to check the rice before it was evacuated from our warehouse.

“We were shocked to hear that the rice was not good for consumption. The rice has not expired. How can we release expired rice to the public? This is very annoying.

“Oyo/Osun command has two warehouses, so the government’s representatives chose the rice that they wanted. Oyo State was the first to evacuate their rice before other states came.”

The PRO said efforts were ongoing to address the issue.

The state government on Friday indicated that it might return the 1,800 bags of rice donated to it by the Federal Government on the grounds that the rice had been infested with weevils.

Akande explained that the rice, donated by the Federal Government as COVID-19 palliative, had spoilt.