Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Saying that President Bola Tinubu’s palliatives to the thirty six states in the Federation including the FCT to cushion the hardship resulting from the removal of subsidy on petroleum products is commendable, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has raised alarms over the whereabouts of Benue’s shares of the palliatives believed to be N5b and some trucks of food items.
Speaking through its State Publicity Secretary, Mr Bemgba Iortyom in a press release made available to journalists this afternoon, the Benue’s major opposition party lamented over the silence of the state governor, Hyacinth Alia since the palliatives were released by the federal government.
The statement reads:
“The Benue PDP commends President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the palliatives packages given by his government to states in the country to cushion the hardship resulting from the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.
The palliatives, while not a long term solution to the issues of poverty and suffering occasioned on Nigerians by the subsidy removal and other related policies of the Tinubu administration, no doubt will provide short term succour to citizens, if handled sincerely and transparently by the various state governments.
However, in Benue State, PDP and indeed the people find as worrisome the continuing silence by Governor Hyacinth Alia over the package sent to the state which we understand consists in trucks of food items and N5 billion, same as was given to each of the 36 states of the federation.
It is a widely known fact that many other state governments across the country have since distributed the palliatives to their people, with some even augmenting the package from their own resources, yet in Benue State, Governor Alia has not uttered a word regarding the matter.
This raises serious concerns for us as a party, moreso given the governor’s track record as a man most uncomfortable with the demands for transparency and accountability in the handling of public resources.
Questions already agitating the populace in the state include:
Has Governor Alia received Benue’s share of the palliatives or not?
If he has received the packages, how does he intend to share same out?
Who are his target beneficiaries and what are they likely to get?
PDP calls on Governor Hyacinth Alia to, without further waste of time, come out from his cocoon of silence and secrecy over the palliatives and shed light on the matter.
Continued silence by the governor and the concomitant delay in the distribution of the palliatives amounts to aggravating the sufferings of the intended beneficiaries, in the reality that ‘Benefits delayed are benefits denied’.
PDP further urges Governor Alia to resist any temptation or pressure from his cronies to play politics with the palliatives, and he should ensure in the most transparent manner that the packages reach the suffering and vulnerable people of Benue State for whom they are meant.