Palliative: Kano Distributes Food Items to 1,060 Under Privileged Persons

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, yesterday commenced the distribution of food items to 1,060 less privileged across the 44 Local government areas of the state in Kano.

Also, the governor yesterday launched agricultural interventions consisting of  agro-processing facilities and farm inputs for 6, 200 smallholder farmers, through agricultural associations under the Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project/ Sasakawa Africa Association Crop Value chain intervention.

He explained that the small ruminants played a vital role in the food and nutrition security of millions of poor rural dwellers in the state, serving as sources of meat, milk, and skin.

On the rice distributed, Governor Yusuf explained that the gesture was aimed at cushioning the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

 According to him, the first phase of the programme included the distribution of two hundred and ninety-seven thousand 10kg bags of rice freely to the needy in all the 474 political wards in the state.

He said: “1060 would benefit from the first phase of this program. We are given food items like rice, and maize, millet, among others, and the items are distributed to the vulnerable groups in our society.

“I am glad to tell you that our government has made a befitting plan through the establishment of various committees at various levels to ensure adequate distribution of the food items.

 “As I have said, no government official or civil servant is allowed to benefit from the programme. Anyone found wanting in the process of the distribution of the food items would be dealt with accordingly.”

Regarding the people living with disabilities, the governor promised to accord special consideration to them especially, in the distribution process.

Meanwhile, the governor said the occasion was also for the distribution of free Aflasafe, a bioprotectant, for use on groundnut farms to reduce aflatoxin contamination to 1, 200 farmers, under the Kano State Agro Pastoral Development Project/ KNARDA Legumes Value chain intervention. Aflatoxins can cause liver cancer and other health challenges in human beings.

“Our target is to achieve food sufficiency and sustained employment generation to our teeming youth through agricultural activities, development of additional cultivable land, and increase in livestock production, to make our economy very resilient” Abba maintained.

The governor expressed appreciation to the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihood Funds for their support towards making life better for citizens of the state.

The KSADP’s State Project Coordinator, Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, stressed that since its inception, the Kano Agro–Pastoral Development Project has invested heavily in the sustainable development of livestock and selected crop value chains, pointing out that the objective is to contribute to poverty alleviation and strengthening of food security of low-income earners.

Speaking with some of the beneficiaries, Hajia Sabuwa Muhammad, lamented how ordinary men are passing through financial constraints because of the removal of fuel subsidy.

Sabuwa said the gesture would go a long way in cushioning the adverse effect of the fuel subsidy removal, adding: “I was given rice, millet, ground oil, and another essential item. In fact am very grateful to the government.”