The Bauchi State Government says it has purchased and distributed assorted grains worth N1 billion to cushion the effect of the high cost of foodstuffs.
Alhaji Sanusi Muhammad, the Senior Special Assistant on media to the state governor, disclosed this  in Bauchi on Tuesday.

Muhammad said that the gesture would augment the shortage of food created by the drought that occurred during the 2008 farming season.‘’To cushion the effect of high cost of food items during the period of the scarcity, His Excellency approved the procurement and sale of 16,000 metric tones of assorted grains worth N1 billion.

‘’The purchase was made through a direct contract with the Bauchi State Cooperative Finance Agency (CFA) and the Federal Government,” he said..He said that 131,742 bags of the assorted grains were delivered to the state under the first phase of the contract

while 32,035 bags supplied under the second phase of the exercise.‘’This brings the total to 163,777 bags of 100 kg of grains which were re_bagged to produce 325,625 bags of 50 kgs.
‘’The grains were warehoused at Azare, Bauchi and Boto grain silos before distribution,” he said.

Muhammad stated that 600 bags were distributed to each of the 323 wards in the state and another 600 bags to each of the 20 local government areas.
The remaining bags were distributed to state and federal establishments, individuals, organisations, political parties, mosques, churches, unions, associations and emirate councils, he said.
 According to him, each 50 kg bag was sold at N1,500 as against the  market price of N8,000 per bag.

 He said that the state government had realised over N361 million from the sale of 241, 135 bags of the grains. “Due to his concern for the plight of the less privileged persons, the governor had also directed that 81,350 bags of the commodity be distributed free of charge to the physically challenged persons, the needy and Tsangaya schools.
 ‘’The gesture has impacted positively on the lives of the ordinary people of the state without which their hardship would have been unimaginable,” Muhammad added.