Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has targeted 500,000 less privileged households as beneficiaries of palliative packages.
These palliatives are designed to cushion the effects of hardship occasioned by the removal of petroleum subsidies.
He said the beneficiaries are selected across the 44 local government areas of the state without prejudice to party, religious, or ethnic affiliations.
Flagging off the distribution of the palliatives on Monday at the Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), the governor distributed other farm inputs to vulnerable women and farmers across the 44 local government areas of the state.
He said the gesture was also part of the government’s agricultural revolution vision, which will make the state less dependent on federal allocations.
According to him, a total of 297, 000 bags of 10kg rice and 160, 000 bags of 10kg maize are to be shared across the 484 wards that make up the state, with each getting 565 bags of 10kg rice and 330 bags of 10kg maize.
To ensure the gesture reached the intended beneficiaries, the governor said a compliance committee has been inaugurated at the state, local government, and ward levels.
“This distribution of interventions is to help people, especially the vulnerable, get succour as people are passing through a lot. We are aware of the situation the masses are passing through.
“We believe that this gesture will not only help in cushioning the effect of subsidy removal but also ameliorate the harsh economic conditions. It will also strengthen our fight against poverty in the state.
“As you can see, we didn’t stop at palliatives alone; we also included agricultural inputs so that they would enhance food production and create jobs. It is also to mark an agricultural revolution in food production that will make the state less dependent on federal allocations,” Governor Yusuf added.
Furthermore, he listed places or centres identified or selected for the palliative distribution to include orphanage homes, Tsangaya and Islamiyya schools, rehabilitation centres, hospitals, persons with special needs, and junior cadre civil servants in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the items distributed comprise 297,000 bags of 10kg of rice, 160,000 bags of 10kg of maize, fertiliser, 250 units of pumping machines, and other related farm inputs, as well as 2,600 goats, sheep, and rams, which will be distributed to women.
