The Akwa Ibom Government says it has received 24,000 bags of 25kg of rice donated by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of the current food crisis in the country.
The Commissioner for Information, Ini Ememobong, disclosed this in a statement in Uyo on Friday. It would be recalled that the Federal Government recently announced that it had dispatched 20 trucks containing 1,200 bags of 25kg of rice to all the federation states.
Ememobong, who expressed Gov. Umo Eno's gratitude to the federal government, said the gesture portrayed the government as responsive and caring.
“The government has demonstrated that it understands the challenge of hunger and the food crisis being faced by the citizenry,” he said.
He said that the state government would soon take delivery of another 24,000 bags of 25kg rice to raise the available quantity to 48,000 bags.
“This will enable us to reach out to more families. So, 20 bags of 25kg rice will be distributed to each of the 2,272 gazetted villages in the state.
“The distribution exercise will be done at council headquarters by the council chairmen,” he added.
The commissioner said that the food intervention was aimed at cushioning the effect of the hardship currently being faced by the citizens.
“The families that will benefit from this intervention will definitely feel better because they will have more food on their table,” he stated.
Ememobong reiterated the state government’s commitment to proffering lasting solutions to hunger through its go-back-farm initiative.