By Ahmed Sanni
North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has commenced distribution of food and non-food items with 20 organised groups in Yobe.
Mr Ali Abbas, the State Focal Person of the commission, disclosed this at the inauguration of the exercise in Damaturu.
Abbas said the gesture followed the federal government’s directives to assist the public to ameliorate the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
He said, after the commission had given Yobe government its palliative allocation, alongside other north-eastern states, the state deemed it fit to also complement the efforts.
“We have also identified various organised groups, that have a lot of membership under them.
“So, today we are doing a symbolic representation of this food and non-food items, for members of the lower cadre,”he said.
He listed about 20 benefiting groups to include: Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and all tertiary institutions in the state, among others.
Some of the items, according to him include rice, spaghetti, macaroni, vegetable oil, children’s wear, women’s wrappers, men wear, among other items.
The state’s NLC Chairman, Mr Mukhtar Tarbutu, expressed gratitude on behalf of his members and other beneficiaries.
He described the gesture as timely, saying it would surely cushion the effects of the hardship faced by the people of the state.