June 25, (THEWILL) – The Sokoto State government has introduced a 20 percent subsidy on select food items, including Rice, Millet, Cooking oil, Spaghetti and Wheat.
The food items are to be sold through a special mechanism called “Shangon Sauka Na Amadun Alu”, which was launched by Governor Ahmad Aliyu in Sokoto on Wednesday.
Governor Aliyu, while speaking at the event, said the initiative is to ameliorate the hardship suffered by people of the state following the hike in prices of food items.
He added that the effort was designed by his administration to cushion the negative impact of the removal of the subsidy on petrol on the people.
Aliyu noted that his administration would remain “steadfast in its commitment to alleviating hardship and promoting the welfare of our people”.
According to the governor, “The Shagon Sauki Na Amadun Alu programme is a strategic and deliberate investment geared towards improving the well-being of our people.
“We are commencing this initiative with essential food items such as rice, millet, wheat, cooking oil, and spaghetti, commodities that are commonly consumed by a number of households in our society and guarantee food security.”
“I am delighted to announce that the government has decided to offer a subsidy of 20% on all purchases made through this programme. By implication, the subsidy for the commodities being sold is as follows:
“Rice: 50 kg of the famous Dangote rice, which sells for N 75,000 in the open market, will be sold at N60,000 at Shagon Sauki na Ahmadun Alu, while 50 kg of our refined local rice, being sold at N63,000 in the open market, will sell for N50,400 at Shagon Sauki na Ahmadun Alu.
“Millet: A 100kg bag of millet, which sells in the market at N65,000, will now sell at N52,000; the beneficiary will enjoy a subsidy of N13,000 per 100kg bag.
“Wheat: A 100kg of wheat which sells in the market at N80,000 only will now sell at N64,000, the beneficiary will enjoy a subsidy of N16,000 per 100kg.
“Cooking oil: A gallon of cooking oil, which sells in the market at N16,550, will now sell at N13,240; the beneficiary will enjoy a subsidy of N3,310 per gallon.
“A carton of spaghetti, which sells in the market at N17,500, will now sell at N14,000; the beneficiary will enjoy a subsidy of N3,500 per carton.”
Speaking at the event, Jigawa State governor, Malam Umar Namadi, commended Governor Aliyu for prioritising the welfare of the people of Sokoto State.
Tunde Omolehin is an award-winning Journalist with prose in investigative and storytelling that is connecting the dots between the under-reported communities and policymakers to ensure good governance and accountability.
