Lawmakers Deny Receiving Government Palliative Items as Presidential Aide Claims Distribution
A statement attributed to a presidential aide has sparked controversy regarding the distribution of palliative items by the federal government to members of the Senate and House of Representatives in Nigeria. According to the aide, Olusegun Dada, the government distributed palliative items worth N200 million to senators and N100 million to members of the House of Representatives.
However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, has refuted these claims, stating that he has not received any palliative items from the federal government. Adaramodu clarified that any distribution of food items and funds to his constituents for Christmas and New Year celebrations was funded personally by him and not by the government.
Similarly, Ezrel Tabiowo, media adviser to the immediate past Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, expressed unawareness of whether his principal received the palliative items. Tabiowo noted that many of the outreaches and palliative distributions undertaken by Lawan were funded by his foundation.
Tabiowo also questioned the feasibility of the claimed amounts, stating that N200 million would not be sufficient to provide an adequate quantity of grains for a single constituency in Nigeria. He calculated that N200 million could only purchase approximately 6000 bags of rice, which would equate to around 12 bags per lawmaker, making the claim implausible.
Additionally, an aide to the Senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed that his principal had not received any palliative items from the government. The aide clarified that any items distributed to constituents were privately funded.
Efforts to obtain comments from Presidential Spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, were unsuccessful as there was no response to a message sent to his mobile phone.
Source: Premium Times
