Gov. Seyi Makinde on Wednesday in Oyo Town led the line as the state government began the distribution of food items to residents of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the food items’ distribution was part of measures to mitigate the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

Makinde performed the symbolic presentation of the food items, such as rice, beans and yam flour, to some of the beneficiaries at the mini-stadium in Oyo Town.

In his remarks at the event, the governor said 40,000 bags of rice would be distributed to 200,000 of the poorest of the poor and the vulnerable.

He added that this was under the short-term plans tagged “the Sustainable Actions for Economic Recovery (SAfER)”.

“The State Government procured 37,000 bags of rice to complement the 3,000 bags of rice received from the Federal Government.

“The additional 37,000 bags procured will enable each of the beneficiaries to get 10 kilogrammes of rice, apart from five kilogrammes of beans, yam flour and ‘garri’ that will be distributed to the beneficiary-households.”

Makinde, while acknowledging that every one in the country was affected by the fuel subsidy removal, said other packages were on ground for the benefit of the general public.

He disclosed that small business owners would benefit from low-interest-rate loans with the provision of N500 million facility while additional farm inputs would be distributed to 10,000 farmers.

“Under the SAfER package, agro-preneurs trained under the Youth Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness Project (YEAP), who have established agribusinesses will receive enterprise support of N500 million.

“Also, 100,000 health insurance packages have been rolled out for the vulnerable in the society.

“The services of ‘Omituntun’ mass transit buses have been extended to cover inter-city routes across all the five zones of the state, while more buses have been made available for the transportation of civil servants in the state,” the governor said.

He restated his administration’s commitment to alleviating the hardship being faced by the masses in the state.

Gov. Makinde used the opportunity of the event to thank the people of Oyo Town for the massive support he received from them during the last general election.

Meanwhile, a cross-section of the beneficiaries told NAN that it was heart-warming that the federal and state governments have shown that they were sensitive to their plight.

An octogenarian, Abibat Salau, said the food items would go a long way in saving her from hunger, saying food is a “life-wire”.

Another beneficiary, Abiodun Alao, who claimed to be a cart-pusher, urged government to intensify efforts in addressing the poor socio-economic situation of Nigerians.

“The distribution of food items will not solve the problem of hardship facing millions of Nigerians. What is needed is making the country conducive for businesses to thrive.”

On her part, Mrs Tejuola Adeleke, a widow, expressed gratitude to the state government for the food items package.

She said the gesture would assist her to feed the three children left behind by her late husband.