LAKE Rice, which supposedly is jointly produced by the Lagos and Kebbi State Governments, surfaces intermittently at festive periods. The Lagos State Government said the rice production and its decision to sell at reduced prices was intended to make the staple affordable for residents.
With the coming of the Muslim Eid-el-Kabir festival, the government announced, last week, that 70 truckloads of LAKE rice had arrived the state and would be distributed to designated centres for residents to buy.
Newsbreak.ng check on Tuesday and Wednesday showed the rice had not arrived some designated centres. There was no sign of LAKE rice at the Lagos State Agricultural Input Supply Authority, Odonguyan, in Ikorodu Local Government Area, where it was sold last year. An official told this website Ikorodu hadn’t received the product, alleging a cumbersome distribution process.
“It is easy for the Lagos State Government to make the announcement but the process is a difficult one”, said the official who pleaded anonymity.
“The state government will first ensure that a LGA or LCDA can pay for number of bags rice allocated to it, which the latter is usually required to pay in cash or sign for on credit”, the official stated. Also, the official expressed fear that Ikorodu LGA might not receive the number of bags of rice it originally ordered for because it lacked sufficient fund to pay for them.
“The State Government has a standard allocation batch. What we could afford in Ikorodu is 50bags of 50Kg, 90bags of 25Kg, and 175bags of 10kg. You can see that there is crisis already. The challenge before us now is how are we going to cope with the huge demand, especially as residents have begun to insinuate that the allocation has been shared among officials”, said the source.
The situation was not different at the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, when the website visited. The Administrative Officer of the council’s Agric department, who identified himself only as Philips, confirmed they were yet to take stock of the LAKE rice.
“I will go to Alausa today (Wednesday)or (Thursday) tomorrow and place order for 300 bags.
“We are still deliberating on what bank will be used (by buyers) for payment, once we conclude, we will let people know so they can start buying as from tomorrow” he added.
Another official of the Lagos Mainland LGA confided in us that he overheard from his colleagues that the bags of rice would be sold clandestinely, shutting out residents willing to procure the product.
“It is man-know-man here. The staff strength is about 400 and the rice would be sold to us first before we can think of outsiders. Leave what government is saying, its untrue. It’s us here that know what is really happening, they are deceiving the people”, he said.
At Mushin LGA, a security guard told our reporter the council had exhausted its stock.
He claimed the council got only 20 bags, which it sold. The security guard also said council officials had travelled to Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state, where the bags of rice were being distributed.
Similarly, officials at the Odi-Olowo Local Council Development Area said the rice was not available.
At Ikotun-Igando LCDA, officials told this website that the council purchased 300bags, out of which 200 bags had been taken to the council’s chairman’s house at Abaranje.
Moreover, willing buyers who visited Surulere Local Government Area were directed to go to the Teslim Balogun Stadium. At the stadium, the website saw some people queuing to buy the rice and saw a woman carrying a bag. However, the website found officials selling as many as eight bags of rice to an individual. When our correspondent sought a comment from a female official in charge of the sale, she angrily responded: “The rice is here you can buy, if you don’t want to buy, you can leave.”
At Coker/Aguda LCDA, officials told us the bags of rice had been shared to the various Community Development Association, CDAs, in the area for onward sale to residents.
Efforts to speak to Steve Ayorinde, Lagos Commissioner for Information, were futile as his cell phone was switched off.
– Demola Aderenle, Bola Kougbe, Tony Nwanne and Bright Bassey
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