By Sunday Oguntuyi, Osogbo
The relief committee set up by Osun State government to douse the economic impact of Coronavirus pandemic has said the looted items don’t belong to the state government but Coalition Against COVID -19 (CACOVID).
This was contained in a release issued and signed by the secretary of the Committee, Alh. Bayo Jimoh and made available with newsmen in Osogbo on Friday.
According to him, the said items were not hoarded and had no direct bearing with the State Government, as they are within the purview of the Food and Relief Committee.
He stressed further that the items can only be distributed after a formal flag-off by the CACOVID Office, Abuja, adding that, the committee doesn’t have the authority to distribute the food items without approval from Abuja.
“Besides, the Committee is still expecting the rice component of the donated items, which is 40, 230 bags of 5kg,” he added
Jimoh noted that, the items donated which were looted includes: Pasta FMN – 29, 992; Pasta OLAM -10, 282; Noodles- 80, 644; Garri -40, 322; Salt- 40, 320; and Sugar – 40, 227, stressing that, the rice components of the donated items are yet to be delivered up until now.
Speaking on the effort made the committee to get the remaining items for distribution, the committee scribe said, series of the letters have been written to the donor so as to remind them of the rice component of the items.
“Part of the letter written to CACOVID reads, “I wish to refer to our letter on the above subject and wish to request for the recent update on the rice component expected to have been delivered to the State, and also to seek your advice on the exact time the State should expect delivery, considering the fact that items already received into the Warehouse are food materials and are perishable with limited shelve lives.
“May I recall in our previous discussions that the delay experienced is due to increase in cost of rice and delivery, that the amount paid to suppliers could no longer cover cost of purchase and delivery to Osun. “
