COVID-19: Ondo govt reportedly says some bags of rice donated by FG have expired
- The Ondo state government is reportedly set to return some bags of rice donated to the state by the federal government
- A report by ThisDay claims Governor Akeredolu ordered the return of some bags of rice sent to the state by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs after finding out they have expired
- The secretary of the state palliative committee, Alex Kalejaiye, reportedly said the bad ones will be separated from the rest which will also be tested in the laboratory
The Ondo state government is allegedly set to return some bags of rice from the 1,800 bags sent to the state by the federal government on the grounds that they have expired.
According to ThisDay newspaper, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has reportedly ordered the return of some bags of rice sent to the state by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management as they were found to have expired.
Recall that the federal government had sent about 1,800 bags of rice and vegetable oil to the state as part of measures to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown in the country.
ThisDay further reports that the secretary of the state palliative committee, Alex Kalejaiye, confirmed that some of the bags of rice had expired and were no longer fit for consumption.
Kalejaiye reportedly said the bad rice will be separated from the good ones and the good ones will be taken to the laboratory to ascertain if they were fit for human consumption.
The newspaper claimed that Governor Akeredolu ordered that the expired rice be returned, adding that the Ondo state governor expressed displeasure over the development.
Kalejaiye said the bad ones will be separated from the rest while a laboratory test will be conducted to ensure they are fit for human consumption.
"But the extremely bad ones, we don’t even need to do test on them, we will return them.
“We will meet tomorrow (today) to decide when to return them, you know we can’t do it without the consent of Mr Governor,” Kalejaiye was quoted to have said.
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In a similar development, the Oyo state government on Friday, April 24, made a U-turn on the quality of palliatives received from the federal government and declared that the items are in bad condition.
Legit.ng gathered that the southwest state a few days ago had attested to the items that were delivered to the state through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday, April 20.
Dr Debo Akande, the executive assistant to the governor on Agricbusiness disclosed this after taking newsmen round the warehouse where the donated were stored.
Akande said the three trailer loads of rice totaling 1,800 bags have been infested with weevil and cannot be consumed by humans.
The state government noted it would be expecting a replacement for the bad rice that was delivered.
According to the governor's executive assistant, after random testing and inspection, it was discovered that only the bags of rice received from the federal government were found to be infested.
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Source: Legit.ng