The Katsina State Government has commenced the distribution of 90,000 bags of 100kg grains to vulnerable households facing economic hardship across the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.
While flagging off the disbursement at Kaita Local Government Secretariat on Wednesday, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda directed officials handling the exercise to ensure equity, transparency and accountability.
He explained that the humanitarian nature of the grain intervention requires that political, personal, social or other considerations must not prevent deserving citizens across the state’s 361 wards from benefiting.
He noted that the government interventions must reach those for whom they were intended, adding that his administration had learned from challenges encountered during previous distributions and had taken steps to improve the system.
Governor Radda said: “I wish to emphasize that government intervention of this nature must be handled with the highest sense of responsibility.
“The objective is humanitarian and developmental and therefore, consideration of personal relationship, societal status and other interests shall not prevent assistance from reaching the desired citizens of our state.
“I have consequently directed all officials involved in this exercise to uphold the principle of fairness, transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.”
He said the distribution of the 90,000 grains was being implemented through the Community Development Programme (CDP), which has structures across the 361 wards, describing the platform as an important mechanism for taking government interventions closer to the grassroots.
He urged community-level committees, local government officials, traditional and religious leaders, security agencies and other stakeholders involved in the exercise to discharge their responsibilities with fairness and the fear of God.
Radda, however, recalled that the state government had previously distributed 90,000 bags of grains comprising 30,000 bags each of millet, guineacorn and maize to vulnerable households in the state.
He also cited other welfare initiatives, including support for women engaged in food businesses during Ramadan and assistance to 7,220 widows across the 34 local government areas of the state.
He further acknowledged the contribution of the Aliko Dangote Foundation to food distribution efforts in communities across Katsina State.
Earlier, the CDP Coordinator, Dr. Kamaluddeen Kabir, said the distribution was not merely about sharing food items but about ensuring that government support reached communities in an organised, transparent and inclusive manner.
He said the programme would strengthen monitoring and documentation throughout the exercise to ensure that every bag of grain reached the right beneficiary.
He warned that diversion of any portion of the intervention would deny a deserving household the assistance intended for it.
The coordinator commended Governor Radda for providing the political will and institutional support that had enabled the Community Development Programme to extend interventions to communities across the state.
Francis Sardauna
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