From Wednesday, 1st April 2020, the Anambra State Government will begin the distribution of Anambra Rice to all men and women in the state from the age of 70 years and above.
This is in line with a jumbo stimulus package being drafted for Ndi Anambra on the orders of Gov Willie Obiano.
According to the Governor, sharing of bags of rice “is one of the many interventions the state government will be making to help cushion the economic and other effects of the coronavirus on Ndi Anambra”.
“For a start, we will share 200 bags of rice each to the 179 communities we have in the state. That’s about 35,800 bags in total. My government will announce further stimulus package in due course”.
Recall that during the last economic recession, Gov Obiano equally announced stimulus package which made ndi Anambra not to feel the real impact of that hard economic situation; ranging from tax exemptions to injection of money into the grassroots to ensure adequate cash flow.
Just as ordered by the Governor, the State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development Partners, Hon Mark Okoye, yesterday confirmed that other stimulus package “is already been worked”.
Okoye further explained that “Lagos is the worst hit in this pandemic so far, that has strategically positioned them from a funding standpoint. N10bn grant from the Federal Government, banks and oil companies building makeshift hospitals, etc.
“Nigeria is being hit harder than most countries given the nation’s reliance on one export product. So not only are we dealing with a public health emergency, revenue is likely to drop 45%. Sets up a pretty interesting situation for all.”
“But be that as it may, Governor Obiano is not relenting given the challenging fiscal environment. He currently chairs the COVID response committee tackling the pandemic and has demanded a draft emergency multi-faceted economic stimulus package for Ndi Anambra for his review.”
“The economic team is currently working tirelessly on this. The key objective will be to ameliorate the impact of the loss in economic activity on the state and its people, especially the poor and vulnerable.”
The distribution of bags of Anambra Rice to all the elderly in Anambra State commences on Wednesday on first-come, first-served basis.
The Traditional Rulers, the Presidents-General and ASATU Women Leaders are to quickly forward their towns’ list of beneficiaries jointly signed by them to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
