The Oyo State Government has rejected about 1800 bags of rice donated by the Federal Government through the Nigeria Customs Service to the state as part of COVID-19 relief material.
The government said the rice is infected and unhealthy for consumption.
Executive Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande, made this known on Friday shortly after the state committee on distribution of relief materials and palliatives paid an inspection visit to the warehouse were the grains were kept.
Akande stressed that after taking delivery of the donated rice, a quality control inspection was carried out repeatedly and the donation has now been rejected.
He however, noted that the donated rice would be returned to the Nigeria Customs Service with the hope that it would be replaced with good quality ones.
The Federal Government had on Monday donated 6,000 bags of rice to Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states as palliatives to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people.
Mrs Helen Ngozi, area controller of Oyo and Osun Command, who delivered the 6,000 bags of rice on behalf of the NCS to representatives of the four states at the service’s zonal headquarters in Ibadan, said the gesture was in fulfilment of the promise by the management of the customs to send palliatives to states.
