Anthony Iwuoma
The Oyo State government is set to return 1800 bags of rice donated to it by the Federal Government as palliatives to ameliorate effect of the Coronavirus pandemic, alleging that they are infested with weevil.
The rice was given the state on Monday April 20.
However, according to Dr. Debo Akande, the Executive Assistant to the state governor, Seyi Makinde, on Agribusiness, the rice is not fit for human consumption.
He said: “We received these items from the Federal Government via the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and we brought them to the warehouse. It was in the process of further inspection that we discovered that the rice had been infested with weevils.
“On that basis, we formed a committee to re-inspect it so we can be sure of what we have received. We don’t want to create another problem while providing solution to another one. We have inspected it; we have done random selection and we have seen that similar things apply across the board.
“We have agreed to return them to the source but if there are good ones with good quality that could be sent to us as replacement, we will be glad to receive them.”
The consignment could be part of the rice seized from smugglers by the Nigeria Customs Service, which President Buhari directed the should be released to the States for onward distribution of the vulnerable people in the society.
