The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has set up a committee to work out arrangements for the distribution of grains to residents to cushion the high level of hardship in the country.
This is coming a few days after the invasion of the FCTA Agriculture Store in the Gwagwa/Karmo axis of the nation’s capital, Abuja.
The committee, which was set up on Wednesday, was given less than two weeks to execute the directive.
FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud announced the composition of the committee at a meeting with Area Council chairmen on Wednesday.
Mahmoud expressed displeasure with the council chairmen for treating the invitation to the first strategic stakeholders meeting with levity, warning them against any act that would sabotage the good intention of the President towards the residents of the territory.
“Yesterday, we received this letter from the Presidency through the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and we all know that some few days ago we were at Gwagwa, where our warehouses were attacked by some youths in that area, and then all we have there have been packed, including the roofing, the gates and everything, and machineries that we used to make some of the food that we were keeping there.
“So, along that way, God Almighty has given us a solution.
“Everybody knows how Mr President, Bola Tinubu, has been going up and down to see how he will cushion the hardship in the country, especially the issue of food security. We have been having meetings with the Ministry of Agriculture to get a lot that we have to distribute to people, to tell us how Mr President has us in his heart.
“So, the Honourable Minister of FCT, Barrister Nyesom Wike, was addressed through this letter to call an important meeting with stakeholders that were highlighted.
“They are here to see that we arrange some committees for transparency in distribution of these palliatives that we are about to get, and then the preparation that we need to have before these items are given to FCT for distribution.
“This is the reason that we called for this meeting. When we received the letter it was saying that it has to be handled in two weeks, so the two weeks from the day we received the letter, and we received this letter on the 29th of February, we have already taken one out of it, before the two weeks, FCT will be able to submit all that is required from us,” she said.
Mahmoud listed members of the Committee to include: Chairmen of Area Councils, FCT Emergency Management Agency, Traditional Rulers, Department of State Service, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Faith-based organisations, National Union of Local Government Employees, Nigeria Red Cross Society, Women Association, Persons with Disability Group, Youth Associations, Principal of Boarding Schools, Civil Society Organizations and the media.