Citizens Engaging Governance: are you monitoring the distribution of palliative?
When citizens become actively involved in the governance processes, leakages in procurement and distribution in financial allocations are checked and accounted for. Any government left to its whims and caprices will not be accountable to its citizens nor have respect for the rule of law. How can the palliative distribution be monitored? We take Delta as a case study.
Delta State Government, Monday, outlined the procedure it would adopt in the distribution of palliatives to it’s citizens to cushion the effects of subsidy removal on petrol by the Federal Government.
Secretary to the State Government and Chairman,State Subsidy Palliative Committee, Dr Kingsley Emu outlined the procedure at a news conference in Asaba.
He said that the state would adopt a distribution model of 40 percent to 500 Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC Wards in the state with 10 percent reserved to shore up urban wards.
He further said that 25 percent would be distributed to heavily impacted people consisting Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) and widows while 20 percent for poor and vulnerable households and five percent left for contingency for the LGAs.
According to the SSG, every local government would receive 696 bags of rice of 50kg while maize would also be distributed to poultry farmers across the state.
He said the food item to be distributed across the state was facilitated by the Federal Government which had extended a loan to the states repayable in 20 months.
Emu said: “As a state we have commenced the process of distribution of palliatives for a long time by embarking on the payment of N5.522 billion promotion arrears to workers which commenced since August.
“We have also commenced the payment of N10,000 for over 50,196 workers since August and the recruitment of 2,000 primary school teaching and non-teaching staff across the state.
“Governor Oborevwori also approved the commencement of three working days rotational scheme for civil servants on Salary Grade leve 1-14, while staff on SGL 15 and above are to work out what is convenient for them in their respective MDAs while ensuring that essential services remain uninterrupted”.
The SSG further said that the state government guaranteed N40bn pensions payment for local government workers and retired primary school teachers with payment commencing in September.
“We also working on purchasing tricycles (Keke) bi-fuel engine (petrol and gas) to be distributed across the three senatorial districts.
“Finally we are also in discussion with several organisations to provide CNG and EV powered inter and intra city commuter buses through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) option.”
Dr Emu called on journalists and well meaning individuals to help monitor the distribution process to ensure it gets to the targeted recipients.
He however assured that with the measures taken by the State Government in the selection of the palliative distribution Committee at various levels, the process of distribution would be seamless across the state.
He said the Local Government Monitoring Team would consist of a non-patisan and trusted leader as Chairman with representation from traditional rulers, religious leaders, representatives of NULGE, women and youth.
He explained that the Ward Committees is made up of a non-partisan and trusted leader as Chairman, representative of the traditional ruler, President-General or representatives of the communities or quarters and a credible NGO representative
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