Zamfara State Government has flagged off the distribution of food items as a support to cushion the effect of hardship being faced as a result of the measures taken by the government to fight banditry in the state.
Speaking shortly after the distribution exercise, the Chairman of the committee, Aminu Sanin Jaji, said Governor Bello Matawalle had donated huge amount of assorted food items to ameliorate the difficult condition of the people across the state.
Aminu Sani Jaji said the Governor donated twenty trucks of assorted grains such as 1200 25kg bags of rice, disclosing further that in addition, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Hajiya Sadiya Farouk also gave two trucks of rice, beans, tomatoes, salt vegetable oil and 100 bails of secondhand clothes.
He said Governor Bello expressed gratitude to members of the distribution committee for their perseverance and commitment in designing workable strategy for the success of the distribution exercise.
The Committee Chairman also uncovered some plans to divert the items in some local governments councils saying that they had already changed the committee leaders of the local governments to avoid maneuvering .
In contribution, the Secretary of the committee who is also the permanent secretary government house, Alhaji Abubakar Jafaru Maradun said from the distribution formulae, each of the 14 local governments will receive one trailer load except the state capital Gusau which was allocated two trucks.
He explained that , each local government would receive 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of beans, 170 bags of salt, 170 jerrican of vegetable cooking oil, 5 cartons of canned tomatoes and 5 bails of secondhand clothes
The measures adopted by the government include ban on the sale of petrol in jerrican, checks on the movements of food items at all points across the state, restricted movements of charcoal and firewood, closure of all major weekly markets, ban on use of motor bikes with clutch system and indefinite suspension of all communication networks in the state
SANI HARUNA