COVID-19: Oyo State To Return Infested Bags Of Rice To FG
The government of Oyo state has revealed the state is about to returning 1800 bags of rice that was given to them by the Federal Government as palliatives to offset the harsh impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The revelation was made by Executive Assistant to Oyo State Governor on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande. Akande said that that the 1,800 bags of rice that was donated by the Federal Government were infested with weevil, as such, they are not suitable for consumption. The bags of rice came from the Federal Government as palliatives to Oyo State on April 20, 2020.
Akande 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.” he said
It should be recalled that President Buhari ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to release no fewer than One hundred and Fifty trucks of rice were seized from smugglers. The bags of rice were distributed by Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to different states and the states are expected to share among the poor and vulnerable in the society.
