Ogun: Palliatives and fifth columnists

Last August, the Federal Government announced a N5 billion palliative for each state of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, to cushion the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy.

It is instructive to note that the federal government was specific in saying that the palliative is not meant for everybody but for the most vulnerable people in various communities across the country. The term, 'poorest of the poor' was used in some instances to categorize those who should benefit.

The government of Prince Dapo Abiodun in Ogun state has been severally lauded at home and abroad for its way of sharing the state's share of the federal government palliatives. For one, Governor Abiodun made it clear to everybody involved in sharing the palliatives that it must get to the intended beneficiaries.

But in spite of the painstaking effort of the government in Ogun state to ensure that the palliatives get to the right beneficiaries promptly, some people are unrelenting in their bids to tar the administration with negative brushes for reasons not beyond politics.

This explains the case of the man in this video who claims to be a Community Development Association chairman somewhere in the state. Taking to social media and throwing cautions to the wind, he betrayed the posture of a man out to do mischief so as to score cheap political gains.

His narrative that the bag of rice he was holding was meant for the whole community is an old bead of lies that has constantly been confirmed to be untrue as he would not be the first rabble-rouser to spin that web of lies. 

For the umpteenth time, need we repeat it that the bag of rice is meant for ONE vulnerable family in the community, and not for all resident of the community, including this chubby looking CDA chairman and his likes.

Checks revealed that that bag of rice was actually sent to Mr. CDA chairman to.for onward transfer to a vulnerable widow in his community. But instead of doing just that, ensuring the intended beneficiary gets the grains at the right time, he chose to play politics with the palliative .

It is still left to be imagined how some fifth columnists can openly express their expectations that the government should provide grains for all families everywhere in Nigeria. Or how else can one explain this man's disappointment that Ogun state.did not providing enough bags of rice that would go round every family in his community? 

It is obvious that no amount of explanations would have prevented this man from carrying out the hatchet job he did with his social media skit using the palliative meant for a poor widow and her children. He would not be the first to be carried away by the allures of social media in his Obafemi Owode LGA.,.in fact in his very ward.

Another CDA boss who had made similar remarks was to later recant his claims, saying he later discovered that many bags of rice were shared in his community while the one given to him was meant for just one vulnerable family. It has similarly been established that numerous other bags of rice have been sent to beneficiaries in Shokeye community through other stakeholders aside from Mr. Chairman. Sadly, he chose to play the usual dirty politics of his political party on social media.

Suffice us to tell him that it is impossible to secure the politics victory they could not win at the polls and at the tribunal through the backdoor by hoodwinking the people of Ogun State with lies and half truths on social media. And playing the roles of fifth columnists with the well thought put palliative arrangement in the state will not endear him and his defeated political party to the good people.of the state.

While we call on the good people of the state to ignore the antics of these rabble-rousers and their sponsors, we urge law enforcement agents to start considering possible punitive measure against people who use the social media to intentionally mislead the public.