By Dayo Johnson

IN  bid to alleviate the suffering of the people, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State recently launched Palliative (Eto Igbe-Ayo) programme where food stuffs were given to residents in the state for free.

Dr Mimiko made it clear that the programme  which is not only blind to political affiliations was targeted at over 100,000 women, resident across the state.

Free food items distributed to women in Ondo by Mimiko

He said: “It is obvious there is hunger in the land and we as government can not  pretend that this is not the case. We have promised during our  inaug-uration to share in the joy and sorrow of the people. We will never jettison this promise even in this trying period.”

However, mixed reactions have trailed the government’s version of stomach infrastructure.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state has pooh-poohed the initiative describing it as a Greek gift to the people of the state a few weeks to the expiration of the present administration.

Speaking through its Director of Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the party stated:  “The rice and beans handout to the people is a bait rather than a palliative measure. It’s a Greek-gift the Ondo State people will never take. The Governor should know that stomach infrastructure as a vote-catching bait would not work in Ondo State.”

Women welcome initiative

However, despite the condemnation, the number of women who trooped to the venue of the distribution in the council areas so far visited to collect the food items are more than what government bargained for to show that there is hunger in the land and that the gesture was welcome and timely.

Reports had it that women across all the political parties have benefited from the government gesture despite reservations from other parties.

Also the beneficiaries especially the artisans and the down trodden masses are singing the praises of the government for the gesture in these trying times.

Mimiko addressing the beneficiaries at the free food palliative distribution to women in the state

The governor speaking at the flag off in Ikare in the Northern senatorial district where no fewer than 5000 women received food items said the Ikare event is the first phase of the programme designed to draw beneficiaries from the 18 council areas of the state.

Palliative programme

Justifying the need for the palliative programme, Dr Mimiko said: “when a man is hungry, he is hungry, when a woman is hungry, she is hungry,  when a child is hungry, he is hungry” adding that hunger is no respecter of gender, insisting that government can not watch people die.

He noted some of his government’s intervention programes like the Bus Shuttle, Mother and Child Hospitals and the Mega School are  meant to assist the less privileged in the society,  adding that with  the Eto Igbe-Ayo programme, government found it appropriate to  provide food for the vulnerable in the society because “when you  target women and children, you have targeted the family”.

The programme, he said: “is politically blind as it has been designed to benefit residents in the state irrespective of political interest  but the only condition is that residents must provide their Smart Cards (Kaadi Igbe-ayo) to benefit.”

According to him, the Palliative programme is designed to cushion the effects of the prevailing increase in price of food stuffs.

The governor said in the last one year, the nation’s income has nosedived drastically because of the fall in crude oil prices on the global market.

National earning

His words: “As you are aware, revenue from oil constitute about 90 per cent of our  national earning, with the fall, the revenue accruing to our state  has fallen to about 65 per cent. Just as income is falling , the price of goods and services are increasing.

“The National bureau for statistics recently indicated that inflation rate in the country is 16.5, which it claimed is the highest in 11 years.

“Bag of rice which used to sell for N8,000 now costs about N16,000, bottle of Kerosine of N80.00 has jumped to N200.00, price of fuel increased from N87 to N145.00 per litre while Diesel used to power our industries now costs N200.00 from its usual N150.00 and unfortunately, the quantum of money available to households has dropped.

“We as government can not pretend that this is not the case the  problem the country is facing calls for redirection and rethinking.

“We need to diversify our economy and re-invest in Agriculture and  Solid mineral. We must also re-order our priorities as a government  and individuals. We must restructure our polity if we want to get out of the woods.”

Ondo APC kick

But describing the initiative as a sham, the APC in the state said:  “we find the recent handouts of small packs of rice and beans to the citizens of Ondo State by the PDP-led Government in the  State as utterly disgraceful and a show of shame going by the fun fair that preceded the distribution ceremony.”

The party’s spokesperson, in a statement said, “the Food palliative as reason for the distribution by the Government was not true as the real reason for the distribution was simply to placate the people to vote for PDP in the 26th, November 2016, governorship election in Ondo State. This is one of the unholy strategies of the PDP Government targeted towards the coming Governorship election to cajole and deceive the  people as they knew the people had rejected and would not likely vote  for the PDP in the coming gubernatorial election.

“This food palliative is a clear testimony to the cry that Dr.  Olusegun Mimiko had deliberately impoverished the people by causing  them hunger with his refusal to pay workers six months salaries in  spite of President Muhammadu Buhari’s N15.6 billion bailout funds  extended to the State to pay workers. That Governor Mimiko is now dolling out sachets of rice is a confirmation of the failure of his administration to empower the people.

PDP defends Mimiko

Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ondo State, noted that “it is expected that they must find fault with all policies and actions of government but in doing just that we expect a level of understanding of the issues that drive such reactions.