Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has flagged off the distribution of 90,000 bags of assorted grains to vulnerable households across the state’s 34 Local Government Areas, describing the intervention as part of efforts to cushion the effects of economic hardship and strengthen food security.

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The ceremony was held in Kaita LGA of the state on Wednesday, where he directed officials and stakeholders involved in the exercise to ensure that the grains reach the intended beneficiaries without discrimination or diversion.

He said the intervention was designed to provide immediate relief to vulnerable families while complementing his administration’s long-term investments in agriculture and other sectors aimed at reducing food insecurity.

“Our philosophy has remained clear: development must reach the grassroots, and the people must feel the presence and impact of government in their communities and daily lives,” he said.

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The governor said the latest distribution was part of a broader social intervention programme through which his administration had previously supported women engaged in some businesses across the state’s 361 wards during the Ramadan period.

He also recalled the government’s intervention for 7,220 widows across the state, with 20 beneficiaries selected from each ward and provided with 25kg bags of rice and N10,000 cash assistance, as he further acknowledged the contribution of the Aliko Dangote Foundation to food security efforts in the state through the distribution of rice to vulnerable residents.

He said lessons from the previous exercise had enabled the government to improve its grassroots distribution mechanism, particularly through Community Level Committees.

“The objective is not simply to distribute more, but to distribute better to improve targeting, strengthen accountability and ensure that government support reaches those for whom it is intended,” Radda said.

The governor, however, stressed that palliative distribution alone could not provide a lasting solution to food insecurity, saying his administration was pursuing a dual approach of immediate relief and sustainable economic empowerment.

He said the government had supported farmers with subsidised fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, while expanding irrigation through solar and petrol-powered pumps, tube wells and other interventions.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria