Several Bayelsa State residents of had on Sunday night, August 27, invaded a warehouse in Yenagoa, where the 2022 flood palliatives were kept by the state government and raided some of the food items alleged to have begun decaying.
The warehouse situated along Isaac Boro Expressway in Yenagoa, the state’s capital, had been plundered by persons infuriated by the hardship in the country caused by the removal of the petrol subsidy by the Federal Government.
The fuel subsidy removal had increased the cost of petrol from about N190 to about N620 per litre and this has led to an adverse effect on the prices of goods and services as well as transport fares nationwide.
The Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, BYSEMA, said that the food items carted away were no longer good for human consumption, because it was stored during the 2022 flood in the state.
This news is coming in the aftermath of President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of a sum of 5 billion Naira in palliative grant to the 36 states of the federation, for onward distribution to Nigerians during these trying times. It is however, unclear if the warehouse recently invaded in, had housed food items promised by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In reacting to the invasion of the warehouse, the Director-General of BYSEMA, Honorable Walamam Sam Igrubia, had in a statement he released on Monday, August 28, stated that the agency was gearing up for an imminent flood this year, and on that basis, the Director Governor had visited the premises, and in his presence, the leftovers of food items, namely rice and garri that were no longer fit for ingestion were cleared out from the warehouse and placed outside, for disposal before the recent appropriation had taken place.
In Igrubia’s words;
“BYSEMA wishes to emphasise that these items are not fresh food palliatives and had not been hoarded by the Agency nor by the state government.”
“BYSEMA wishes to use this medium to emphasise that these food items are not fit for human consumption and a reputable, caring government like ours will not offer Bayelsans such items disguised palliatives.”
“Anyone who carted away the unfit items is advised in their own interest to avoid consuming them.”
