The Niger State Government has threatened to deal with “anyone caught engaging in this unwholesome activity regarding the fertilizer distribution”. This was made known in a statement on Monday issued by the Ibraheem Dooba,chief press secretary, to Governor Sani Bello.
He said “While fertilizer distribution is proceeding as planned in many of the local government areas of the state, the attention of Niger State government has been drawn to activities of some individuals who purpose to derail the project by asking for more bags or refusing to cooperate in delivering the bags to the targeted farmers.
“Anyone caught engaging in this unwholesome activity regarding the fertilizer distribution, whether he is a politician, a civil servant or an agro-dealer, would face the consequences of their action. Nigerlites are also requested to report such people to the government promptly.
Dooba said “It is important to remind our people that the price per bag remains N2850, which is a 50% subsidy of what the farmers would have ordinarily paid. And the quantity allowed per farmer is a set of two bags. In other words, Niger State government is giving the farmer two bags for the price of one. The distribution points are the farm centres in the respective local government areas, where the farmers in each ward take turns to collect their fertilizer.
According to the CPS “It may be the case that a farmer would require more bags due to the size of his land. That’s understandable. However, in this respect, he would have to pay the full price of the additional bags.
“In these difficult times, it is the intention of the government to make life as easy as possible for Nigerlites,” Dooba said further.
“It is what keeps Governor Abubakar Sani Bello awake at night. We therefore call on the people to assist the governor on this task. While the President has declared zero tolerance for corruption, Governor Bello has also declared many times that he would follow that example,” Dooba said.
The statement further encouraged the people to be the watchdogs of the society to prevent bad elements from selfishly working against the interest of the general population.
