Gist
You Need To Do More – NBA Tells Tinubu As They Receive 100 Bags Of Subsidised Rice
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Gombe has received 100 bags of 50kg subsidised rice from President Bola Tinubu.
Praising the president for his kind gesture, the Association urged the government to sustain the palliative and invest in key sectors of the economy.
Speaking while taking delivery of the bags of rice, the chairman of the branch, Barrister Benjamin Sati, emphasised the need for transparency in the distribution of the subsidised rice, noting that the involvement of anti-graft agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ensured that the bags were not diverted.
He said, “We were allocated 100 bags of 50kg rice for the Nigerian Bar Association by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“I think it came through the Ministry of Agriculture. You know, we didn’t go to beg. I was just called as chairman of the bar, and we were told 100 bags were allocated to us.
“EFCC, ICPC officials witnessed the verification and distribution to avoid diversion of the bags set at N40,000.”
However, the NBA boss suggested that the impact of the subsidised rice would be felt if the price were further reduced, stressing, “If the government makes it N20,000, then it will make more sense. If tomorrow, I’m fortunate to buy another one, because I’m entitled to buy only one, and I go outside to buy one with the size of my family, it will be adequate for five months.”
Sati also highlighted the need for the government to do more to address poverty and inequality.
“A reasonable percentage of the country’s population is living below the poverty line; they are living in squalor.
“The government needs to do more. We need more of this kind of intervention. They should do interventions in other areas, such as poverty reduction and training of people, and people should be able to afford bags of rice at N50,000. Then we can say that we are making progress,” he insisted.
