Rights Advocacy Group in Nigeria under the auspices of Center for Human Rights and Advocacy Network (CHRAN) has applauded the National Assembly lawmaker representing Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Abuja, Hon. Patrick Umoh PhD for distributing presidential palliatives to constituents in Akwa Ibom state.
In a press statement signed by the CHRAN Director and Secretary, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and Barr. Christopher Ekpo and made available to newsmen in Uyo on Monday, described Dr. Patrick Umoh’s gesture to his constituents in Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara Federal Constituency as an intervention which came at a time others were resorting to refutations on hunger issues by a cross section of Akwa Ibom people.
The advocacy group vowed to continue to track the presidential rice, even as it monitored the distribution of the palliative by Hon. Umoh.
The Center noted that, Hon. Umoh palliatives distribution exercise, which took place at the weekend 1st March, 2024 at Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, was peaceful and successful.
The group noted that apart from the palliative rice, the federal lawmaker also met with the family heads (Mbong Ekpuk), youths and persons living with disabilities (PWD) from the three local government areas to merry with them.
The CHRAN stated that 510 bags of rice and a total of N2.3 million were distributed to the people.
Hon. Patrick Umoh, it is recalled celebrated Christmas with his constituents and presented them 300 bags of rice, 3 cows and the sum of four million ( N4m) Naira.
CHRAN however, urged other National Assembly members from the State, who are yet to distribute the palliative rice and other items to borrow a leaf from the federal lawmaker and be transparent and accountable to their constituents.
The CHRAN further stated that it was sanguine that the President Tinubu Palliatives had been received by all the National Assembly members on behalf of their constituents, and so urged them to distribute same to their constituents to mitigate the looming hunger in the land.
CHRAN also threatened to expose other National Assembly members from the state, who have not distributed the palliatives to their constituents stating that, it has reliable information that palliatives worth N57.8 billion had been approved for members of the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for onward distribution to their constituents and that same had been released and shared to all members of the National Assembly.
The CHRAN also stated that it has been reliably informed that N200 million worth of rice was given to Senators as palliatives for their constituents, while N100 million worth of rice was given to members of the House of Representatives as palliatives for constituents.
It would be recalled that, the Presidency while showcasing Tinubu’s scorecard in palliatives disbursement to Nigerians, had revealed each Senator got N200 million worth of palliatives for their constituents, while each member of the House of Representatives received N100 million worth of palliatives for their constituents.
