No less than 200 students of Anambra Central Senatorial District have been lined up for the next phase of Senator Victor Umeh’s scholarship scheme from March this year. Umeh, the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone, stated this while distributing 124 metric tons of rice from the federal government to his constituents at St Andrew’s Catholic Church, Adazi Nnukwu, January 18.
Umeh, who said he still paid the scholarship of students from his zone even while out of the senate, promised that he would relaunch his education scheme to give scholarships to no fewer than 200 students of his constituency from March.
This was even as he announced that 76 university students in his scholarship scheme had recently graduated, and that he had trained no fewer than 400 persons in similar circumstances. He said seeing the students showing excitement at their graduation and throwing up their caps gave him an immense feeling of satisfaction.
On the distribution of the rice, the Labour Party Senator said it was arranged in such a way that the sharing would go to all the wards in the seven local government areas of the Senatorial District.
The seven local government areas are Anaocha, Njikoka, Dunukofia, Awka North, Awka South, Idemili North and Idemili South.
Addressing the representatives of the local government areas/wards, Umeh said the rice palliatives were Federal Government/National Assembly palliatives programme; emergency supply of food items during the Christmas but that the contract came late and therefore was not executed and government did not give money to the contractors.
Expressing his gratitude to his constituents for electing him, Umeh stressed that the palliatives were not only for LP members, but for the poor in the constituency; even as he debunked insinuations in some quarters that he was given cash of N200m or N450m for such palliatives.
‘I was not given shishi (penny) by anybody for this and no Senator was given any such money by the Federal Government,’ Umeh stated.
While thanking the Federal Government for the rice palliatives, he however urged government to go beyond such palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Ñigeria in order to make more impact on people.
‘I welcome the palliatives because I can feel the pulse of the people having been at home for one month now with the people. They need food; the need succor,’ he said, describing the palliatives as a temporary measure.
‘It goes no long way in solving the hardship in Nigeria. That’s why I’m saying the government should go beyond these palliatives and invest the money available in restarting the economy of Ñigeria. Let the government tackle the distress in the economy.
Continuing, Umeh said, ‘This is a Federal government National Assembly palliatives programme; emergency supply of palliative, food items during the Christmas but the contract came late; it was not executed and government did not give money to the contractors.
‘The condition is that if you (contractors) are able to supply you come and put your claim and the government will pay you so it is very difficult to execute but because the contractor that was given Anambra Central Senatorial District could source money and I discussed with him, I said come and buy this rice from Anambra State; don’t go and bring it from outside.’
Umeh said all the rice distributed to his constituents in the district were from Anambra State so it took them about few weeks to get it ready and today it’s being distributed, that is why the representative of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security that awarded the contract is on ground today (Thursday) to see what we have done.
‘Like I said, it is 124 metric tons of rice, which is 124,000 kilogrammes of rice. What we have here on ground is 129,000 kilogrammes of rice; so we surpassed by 5000 kilogrammes according to the contract.
‘Despite that, last Christmas I shared 626 bags of 50kg rice and about 600 bags of 25kg rice and matched it with some cash support to the people of Anambra Central as my own palliatives and as a Senator I spent over N40m million in that exercise in addition to what government has done.
‘So, this programme is good but it does not solve the problem to be sincere with you, government has to go beyond this; create employment and job opportunities for the citizens. We need to go and put more hands in agriculture.
‘Government should put money on productive activities so that people will be self-employed and be in a position to recycle income that will sustain them, what we’re doing with this palliatives is purely consumption because anybody you give this rice will eat it and become hungry after one week or two weeks, the problem continues so government should try and bring money to put people into productive activities.
‘Small and medium scale enterprises are very important. Government should engage our youths; let them go and start doing things. The conditional cash transfer programme as you can see is already marred by corruption and controversy so people are lining up to share money, it will not help us out.
‘Let’s us put these billions of Naira to select people and use it on productive activities,’ he said.
