By Asma’u Ahmad
The Borno State Government said it has earmarked N5.4 billion for economic empowerment of its citizens to cushion hunger and poverty in rural areas.
Governor Kashim Shettima disclosed this while presenting the 2017 budget at the state House of Assembly in Maiduguri.
According to him, the state government will from January 2017, kick start quarterly distribution of rice and other stable food freely to millions of its indigent citizens across the 27 local government areas of the state.
Governor Kashim Shettima
“The project, titled: `Critical Welfare Programme’, aims at assisting citizens in the face of economic recession as contained in the N183 billion Appropriation Bill.
“Government is very mindful of the brutal fact that there is hunger and anger in the land arising from economic hardship, which in our case is made worse by our peculiar situation.
“In our bold response, the Borno State Government will from January 2017, begin a quarterly distribution of free bags of food items to deserving citizens across the entire state as part of critical welfare programme.
“The distribution which will, God willing, kick start in January 2017, be designed in a manner that will maximally reach those in need
“Even in ordinary times, majority of citizens do not find it easy to meet their economic needs that include feeding their families,” the governor said.
Besides the governor said the state was also making a lot of massive investments in agriculture, education and other economic sectors of the state to boost employment opportunities.
