The controversy surrounding the distribution of rice palliatives in the state has led to verbal spats between the Ogun State Government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to Platinum Times, leaders of two communities have publicly rejected the gesture since the state administration started distributing grains supplied by the federal government to mitigate the effects of the elimination of gasoline subsidies.
In a recent video that has been making the rounds on social media, an elderly man known as the Chairman of Shokeye CDA turned down the 10kg bag of rice that had been donated to his community.
The man said that 147 houses in his neighborhood received a 10 kilogram bag of rice from the state government as a palliative.
He called the medication “insulting” and continued, “We are not beggars.”
In response, the state government blamed the opposition party for the films in a statement issued by Lekan Adeniran, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The government said that some opposition representatives had used media extortion to malign the Abiodun administration.
The Abiodun government said that individuals behind the media were fifth columnists, but it also pointed out that the Federal Government has made it clear that the palliative was solely intended for the most vulnerable members of society.
“Let it be recalled that Governor Abiodun made it clear to everybody involved in sharing the palliatives that it must get to the intended beneficiaries.
“But in spite of the painstaking effort of the government in to ensure that the palliatives get to the right beneficiaries promptly, some people are unrelenting in their bids to tar the administration with negative brushes for reasons not beyond politics.
“This explains the case of the man in a recent video who claims to be a Community Development Association chairman somewhere in the state. Taking to social media and throwing cautions to the wind, he betrayed the posture of a man out to do mischief so as to score cheap political gains,” the government said.
But in a swift reaction, the PDP in Ogun State expressed surprise that the State government could blame the opposition for the videos being shared online about the palliatives.
The PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Akinloye Bankole, said as the leading opposition in Ogun, it had deliberately kept quiet since the disbursement of the palliatives commenced, expecting that the APC government “would have outgrown its trademark of serial failure and irresponsibility”.
Bankole, however, said it was sad that the government could come out to accuse the PDP of blackmail.
“For the umpteenth time, the statewide rejection of the palliative by members of CDs remains a valid confirmation of how unpopular the government has become over the years,” he said.
The PDP spokesman described the “poor implementation” of the palliatives distribution as “a brazen insult” to the sensibilities of the people of Ogun State.
According to him, it shows the government was bereft of all creative ideas for running a responsible government.
The opposition party further asked the government to seek help immediately, and deliver an unreserved apology to the people of Ogun State.