BARELY fourty-eight hours after Oyo state goverment rejected and returned a total of 1,800 bags of rice, Kwara state goverment has acknowledged the receipt and acceptance of 1,800 50kg bags of rice and 700 pieces of 25 litres of vegetable oil from the Federal Governement of Nigeria.

The ICIR reported here on Friday that Oyo state government rejected the palliatives on the allegation that the bags of rice are pest-infested which makes it unhealthy for human consumption.

However, Rafiu Ajakaye the Chief Press Secretary to the governor of the state, in a statement, disclosed that the state governement has received its own share of the Federal Government’s palliatives to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

Ajakaye said “the items are part of the meausres by the federal government to palliate the effect of the lockdown on those at the lowest rung of the economy ladder as the pandemic tighten its grips across the globe”

He added that the palliatives received by Prof Mamman Saba Jibril, the secretary to the government of the state, on behalf of the governor , AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, is meant for the most vulnerable in the society.

According to the press statement, Prof Jibril lauded the Federal Government’s commitment to the needs of the society as the world battles covid-19 and lockdown as he assured of delivery to the intended beneficiaries as we have been doing.

“We are very grateful to the Federal Government for reaching out to the most vulnerable in our state at this time. Specifically, we thank the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development for the gesture.

Prof. Jibril also urged Muslims in the state to use the month of Ramadan to seek God’s intervention as the world battles the pandemic

“All of us should use this period of Ramadan to seek God’s mercy. The situation at hand shows just how vulnerable we are and we must pray to God to save us even as we play our individual roles as explained by various health authorities.”

Earlier, Bashir Ahmad, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital Media, tweeted that the president has directed the Nigeria Customs Service to release 150 truckloads of rice seized from smugglers for immediate distribution across the country as part of the Federal Government’s palliative measures to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to The ICIR COVID-19 dashboard, Kwara state has recorded 11 cases with two patients discharged. The dashboard also recorded that Nigeria has 1,182 total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases with 222 total discharges and 35 total deaths.