Palliatives: Custom faults Oyo government claims on infested rice

Segun Showunmi in Ibadan

The Nigerian Custom Services (NIS), Oyo/Osun Area Command on Saturday faulted  claims of the Oyo State government that the 1,800 bags of rice distributed to the State as palliatives by the Federal Government have been infested  and unfit for human consumption.

Penpushing reports that the Public Relations Officer of the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the customs services, Abdullahi Lagos when contacted on phone said  the claim by the Oyo State Government was annoying and appalling.

“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 came to our office to check the rice before it evacuated from our warehouse’, he said.

“We were shocked to hear that the rice were not good for consumption, these rice are not expired rice, how can we now realese expired rice for the public? this is very annoying”, the public relations officer emphasised

“Oyo/Osun command has two warehouse, so the government representatives were the one that even choose the rice they want, Oyo State was the first to evacuate their rice before other states came to took their own”,he stated

Penpushing further reports that the  Oyo/Osun Area Command noted that although it is possible that a little number of the bags of rice might have an issue, saying that that does not means that all the bags of rice were not good for consumption.

The customs imagemaker,however said that efforts is ongoing to ease the tension of the people of the State, saying that the customs are still going to react accordingly.

Penpushing also reports that it would be recalled that the Federal Government had recently distributed 1,800 bags of rice each to four of the six South West States as palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown order put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile,  the Oyo State Government which took delivery of the rice donated through the Nigeria Customs Services on Monday,said it  has concluded plans to return the 1800 bags of rice distributed to the state,  claiming that almost all the rice has been infested with weevil and other materials.