From Bassey Anthony, Uyo
Akwa Ibom Government said it has discarded 510 of the 1800 bags of rice released to it by the Customs Service as ordered by the Federal Government as palliative to the state.
Government says its decision was based on a laboratory test results which showed that the affected 510 bags were not fit for human consumption.
Secretary to State Government and Chairman of COVID-19 Committee, Akwa Ibom State, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem made the disclosure at the 13th edition of Covid-19 update in the state in Uyo on Thursday.
“As we reported a few weeks ago, we took delivery of 1800 bags of impounded Nigerian Customs warehouse bonded rice donated to the state by the Federal Government.
“On receipt of the donation, we noticed that some grains of the rice had obvious de-coloration and in order to ascertain whether or not they were fit for human consumption, we subjected them to a thorough laboratory test procedure.
“The Akwa Ibom State Governor has therefore approved the distribution of the remaining 1,290 bags of rice on a local government by local government basis; 41 bags per LGA
“This is however without liability to the Akwa Ibom State Government. Beneficiaries are STRONGLY advised to scrutinize the bags of rice and NOT consume rice grains that do not appear good enough for human consumption”. He said
He used the occasion to disclose that Governor Udom Emmanuel has approved a second-round of state government funded palliatives for distribution in the state.
“You will recall that not too long ago, the Akwa Ibom State government had distributed over 50,000 bags of palliative items comprising garri, rice, flour and beans to about 3,000 villages across the state.
“These items; that were predominantly home grown, also served as a testament to the success of our industrialization and Agricultural initiatives since May 29, 2015”. He said
Giving an update on case statistics of Covid-19 in the state, the SSG says confirmed cases stands at 45, discharged cases: 37, deaths: two, total active cases :six.
He assured of state government’s commitment to the improvement of medical facilities in the state, reporting that the NCDC has approved a state-of-the art Polymerase Claim Reaction (PCR) Laboratory; in the Ituk Mbang Isolation Centre, where critical tests, including Covid -19 and other infectious diseases would be carried out.
“We trust that citizens and residents will comply to all prescribed guidelines; including use of face mask, to ensure our collective safety,” he said.