The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has refuted Governor Dauda Lawal’s claim that his administration distributed 81,000 bags of fertiliser free to farmers, saying the fertiliser being distributed was a federal government allocation.
It could be recalled that Governor Dauda Lawal last week flagged off the distribution of 81,000 bags of fertiliser to farmers in the state which he said was purchased by his administration.
In reaction to the claim, the state chapter of APC, in a statement, kicked against Governor Lawal’s claim, saying that the commodity was the state government’s allocation from the Federal Government under the NG – Cares.
The APC spokesperson in Zamfara State, Yusuf Idris said, the administration of Governor Lawal did not purchase the fertiliser claimed to be distributed to farmers free of charge, but rather collected from the Federal Government.
The APC Publicity Secretary expressed disgust over Governor Lawal’s inability to give credit to President Bola Tinubu’s administration that allocated the fertiliser to the state under it’s NG-Cares program.
The statement which reads in parts said; “Governor Lawal has announced the distribution of 135 trucks of fertilizer to the state’s farming community, which was flagged off last Tuesday but left many unanswered questions on the lips of the people”.
“According to the release that trailed the flagging off of 81,000 bags of the commodity will be distributed to a total of 40,500 farmers free of charge but failed to state how the beneficiaries would be identified or selected at a time when the wet season farming has gone more than halfway into the rainy season”.
“Most importantly, since such fertilizer fell under the federal government’s NG-Cared program, where is the fertilizer that the state government bought for it’s farmers to even buy at subsidized rate?
“Nigerian citizens are aware how the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration distributed hundreds of trucks of fertilizers to states for distribution to farmers, Zamfara State inclusive”.
“The Governor failed to inform people of the state how many trucks Zamfara State received from the federal government during the launching, in order to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agricultural transformation policy as being done by various state governors”.
“As citizens of Zamfara State, we never knew when was there any bidding for the contract for the supply of fertilizer to the state and at what cost and quantity is the product to be supplied”.
“The government also failed to inform the people of the state when the executive council approved for the supply of fertilizer,nor has there been any information regarding the state House of Assembly including any knowledge of this magnitude”.