Shagari urges transparency in Sokoto subsidised grain sales

A former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State Mukhtar Shehu Shagari.

A former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State Mukhtar Shehu Shagari has commended the state government for the ongoing sale of grains at subsidised prices, describing the initiative as a timely intervention to ease the impact of rising food prices on residents.

Shagari, in a statement issued by his media aide, Musa Ubandawaki, said the programme demonstrated the government’s responsiveness to the economic difficulties confronting households, particularly low-income families.

He noted that the availability of grains at affordable prices would help reduce the burden of food inflation and provide relief to vulnerable residents across the state.

“The initiative is a timely and strategic response to the economic hardship confronting households across the country,” Shagari said.

He also commended the committee set up by the state government as led by former Deputy Governor Alhaji Chuso Abdullahi Dattijo for its efforts towards ensuring that the intervention benefits residents.

Shagari, however, called for strict transparency and accountability in the distribution and sale of the subsidised grains.

He urged officials entrusted with the exercise to regard their responsibilities as a public trust and ensure that the commodities reached the people for whom they were intended.

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According to him, “Any attempt to divert, hoard, manipulate or unfairly distribute the commodities would defeat the fundamental objective of the government’s intervention.”

The former deputy governor also called on the state government to strengthen its monitoring mechanisms to ensure equitable distribution of the grains across the 23 local government areas.

Thus, Shagari urged traditional rulers, community leaders and other stakeholders to assist in ensuring that the intervention reached genuine beneficiaries.

He further appealed to residents participating in the sales exercise to remain patient and orderly, stressing that the programme was designed to provide relief to as many households as possible.

He described the subsidised grain sales as a commendable social intervention that could provide immediate relief to families while longer-term measures to improve agricultural production, food supply and economic opportunities were pursued.

Shagari further urged the government to maintain effective oversight throughout the exercise, expressing optimism that transparent and judicious implementation would significantly ease the hardship faced by families in the state.