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By Madu Obi
The Senator representing Anambra Central, Senator Victor Umeh has commended the federal government's ongoing rice palliatives across the country, but advised government to go beyond the palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Ñigeria.
Umeh spoke at the distribution of over 124 metric tons of rice to his constituents at Adazi Nnukwu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra State
The rice would be distributed to all the wards in the seven local government areas that make up the senatorial zone.
He said: "I welcome the palliatives because I can feel the pulse of the people, having been here in Anambra for one month. They need food; they need succour. But these palliatives are very little temporary measure."
"It goes no long way in solving the hardship in Nigeria. That's why I'm saying the government should go beyond these palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Ñigeria. Let the government tackle the distress in the economy."
"The government should look for ways of engaging people, creating employment and giving people the opportunity to put their hands in productive ventures, instead of giving them rice which they will eat and continue to complain."
"Government should go beyond the palliatives and restructure the economy of Nigeria; that is what I think should be done."
Government should put money on productive activities so that people will be self-employed and be in a position to recycle income that will sustain them. "What we're doing with this palliatives is purely consumption because anybody you give this rice will eat it and become hungry after one week or two weeks and the problem continues."
"So government should try and bring money to put people into productive activities."
"Small and medium scale enterprises are very important. Government should engage our youths; let them go and start doing things."
The conditional cash transfer programme as you can see is already marred by corruption and controversy so people are lining up to share money.
It will not help us out. Umeh said "the palliative is a federal government /National Assembly programme; an emergency supply of palliative, food items for the Christmas, adding however that the contract came late because the money to the contractors also came late."
"The condition is that if the contractors are able to supply and put their claims, the government will pay them. It is very difficult to execute, but because the contractor that was given Anambra Central Senatorial District could source money and I discussed with him, I said come and buy this rice from Anambra State; don't go and bring it from outside. So all the rice distributed in Anambra Central were from Anambra State."
"The producers are in Anambra State so it took us about few weeks to get it ready and today it's being distributed. That is why the representative of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that awarded the contract is on ground to see what we have done."
Umeh, who was elected on the platform of Labour Party (LP) thanked his constituents for electing him in the 2023 general elections, reassuring them of effective representation in the National Assembly.
He explained that the palliatives were not only for LP members, but for the poor in the constituency. Umeh promised to relaunch his education scheme to give scholarships to no fewer than 200 students in his senatorial district from March this year.
According to him, 76 university students in his scholarship scheme had already graduated, adding that he had also trained about 400 persons in similar circumstances.
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