Expired Palliative Rice: Osun, Ondo, Ekiti scrutinise bags of rice after Oyo fiasco

Three South-west states that received rice from the federal government say they are still examining the quality of the food item after the alarm by Oyo State government that its own consignment was not fit for human consumption.

The federal government ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to donate 1,800 bags of rice each to Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states and 800 bags to Ondo state as part of efforts to cushion the effects of Coronavirus on the people of the four states.

The Comptroller, Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Helen Ngozi, on Monday, handed over the bags of rice each to the governments of Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.

But the Oyo State government, four days later, vowed to return the bags of rice after discovering that much of the rice had expired.

Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State governor, said the rice is not fit for human consumption.

The Osun State Government said it has subjected its own 1800 bags of rice to “quality control.”

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Osun State Governor, Ismaila Omipidan, told PREMIUM TIMES the state was yet to ascertain any expired rice, as it was still carrying out a quality control procedure.

“We have not witnessed any expired rice, we are doing quality control and the process has not been concluded,” said Mr Omipidan.

The Ekiti State government also described the quality of the rice delivered to the state as satisfactory.

“We have no such thing, what we received was good I can assure you,” Commissioner for Information, Muyiwa Olumilua, said.

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