FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, on Monday, in Abuja inaugurated two committees –one for the distribution of grains, and the other for the sales of fertilizers and other agro-chemical inputs.
Aliyu, while inaugurating the committees, said they would execute the administration’s mandate of ensuring that governance profited the people.
Represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Administration and Strategy, Professor Muhammad Usman, Aliyu directed the fertilizer sales committees to determine available stock and work out modalities for the sales.
She also said the committee would make preparations for the flag-off and subsequent sales of the fertilizers, pesticides and agro-chemicals in the FCT.
Aliyu charged the committee members to work diligently to ensure the exercise met its objectives.
The minister advised the grains distribution committee to ensure that grains were released from warehouses and made available to the residents of the territory in a manner that was free, fair and transparent.
“As you are aware, the administration buys off excess harvest from our farmers to give them value for their efforts and labour at the end of the season. Before the new harvest, when prices are naturally on the increase because of dwindling supply, the administration releases the buffer stocks to ensure that prices are regulated if not drastically reduced, for the benefit of the residents of the territory. In the wisdom of the FCT administration, individuals have been carefully selected to be saddled with the responsibilities of ensuring that the exercise meet its objective. The grains released from the warehouses must be made available to the residents of the territory in a manner that is free, fair and transparent”.
The minister said the administration would be counting on the wisdom and the ability of the committee members to diligently discharge the responsibilities diligently.
Speaking on behalf of the two committees, Mr Abdul Agbade, who chairs the committee on grains distribution, promised to deliver on the mandates.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the Minister of State FCT for the confidence reposed in us. We will not toy with it. We will try as much as possible to discharge our responsibilities with the fear of God and in accordance with our terms of reference. Residents of the FCT need to be assisted in this trying times. We are just coming out of COVID-19 pandemic and everybody knows the food crisis we are facing. The prices of food items are going up in the market and the people need to be assisted. We will do our best to ensure these grains are sold to the people in need”.
