Don’t Poison Us, We’re Not Goats, Osun Residents Accused Govt of ‘Expired Rice’

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

Osun State residents have continued to express their disgust over the nature of relief materials being given out by the government.

Some residents who spoke to CityMirrorNews complained bitterly over the quality of rice distributed to them by the state government.

Among the units visited by our Correspondent include Osogbo Ward 4 unit 18, 19 and 20 Baruwa Estate, Surulere unit 10, Odio-lowo unit 5, Union Baptist Church unit 12, Oloyede Poling Unit, Pepsi Cola, Orita Sabo, Osunkunle Ayetoro, Ofatedo among others.

At Baruwa, Ogo-Oluwa area of Osogbo, the state capital, residents were seen gathered at the various poling units in their large numbers. The aggreived residents expressed disappointment over small bag of rice on display among a group of people who subsequently cursed the persons who gave out such a paltry handout.

Speaking with our CityMirrorNews in one of the units in Osogbo, one Lawal Wasiu (aka Azonto) flayed the government for distributing what he called “poisonous rice” to its citizens.

He said “it is glaring that this rice has been stored more than five years. they have turned us to goats. They are giving us poisonous rice instead of releasing us to go and work. We will go out if they try to extend the stay-at-home.

“This is not rice but COVID-22. The rice is not good at all. It is worse than COVID-19. They should not extend the lockdown beyond two weeks. It cannot work. They should release us and allow us to go and find means of living.

A lady who simply identified herself as Ajoke, said the best thing the government should have done is to release people to go back to their work.

She said, “Not only that the rice does not go round, despite sharing 3 milk tins per person, it is Coro-rice. It is not comestible.

“How can they give us this kind of rice, Are we goats or what? Even no any animal can eat this rice. Do they want to poison us?. We are not going to collect this from them.

She added: “During the gubernatorial election, we knew what they gave us , because they needed our services then but now that they have accomplished their political aims, they left us with our problem during this trying time of Coronavirus pandemic.

At Oloyede poling unit, Pepsi Cola area , one of the residents Mr Oluwole Joshua said the item given to them could not commensurate the level of sufferings the lockdown and Stay-At-Home order had melted on them.

Joshua who spoke angrily said, it was incumbent upon the government to feed them since it had compelled them to stay at their homes .

He threatened that if the government failed to provide reasonable palliative materials ,they would be forced to go out for the usual businesses.

He said government should look for a way of ameliorating suffering occasioned by the Stay-At-Home Policies.

“It’s our right for the government to feed us since we were asked to stay home. How are we supposed to cry before we receive what is supposed to be our right,we were asked to stay at home without food.

Reacting, one of the government officials, who pleaded for his name not to be mentioned said the rice was to be given to the needy and less Privileged.

He said on the quality of the rice , no government would deliberately like to feed its citizens with low quality of rice.

According to him, “First and foremost, the rice that was shared ordinarily if they had allowed the rice to be given to those it meant for certainly, it would be enough because the rice is meant for the needy and the less privileged irrespective of political affiliation or religious differences.

“But you know the kind of society that we are, even if the people have they will pretend as if they don’t have, to rather allow the thing to go round, they will still want to share, but what I would add is that, this is not the first and the last Mr. Governor said, the one by the committee is still coming, and I believe that apart from the one by the committee, there are appointees of the government who are also reaching out to the People at their constituency and their locality. Except from the mischief maker, it would be unfair to say what is being given is not enough.

“Talking about the quality, I don’t know where the news story is coming from because virtually all those people I have interacted with have not had the complain about the quality of the rice. And no government would deliberately want to feed its citizens with low quality rice, except if you would want to pretend as if you don’t know the man who is in the helms of affair.

“If a particular area is complaining, you and I should know that there is more to it. There are some politics been played as far as the matter is concerned. It’s more of politics than realty.

CityMirrorNews recalls that the state governor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola had on Wednesday flagged off the distribution a total number of 6,020 bags of rice to residents as part of efforts to cushion the effects of the lockdown in the state.

The 6,020 bags of 50kg rice according to the governor would be distributed across the 3,010 polling units in the state.