The Oyo State Government has stated that the infested bags of rice donated by the Federal Government as COVID-19 palliative will not delay the State Government in distributing palliatives to the people as planned.

The Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Agribusiness, Dr Debo Akande, who made this revelation on Friday while speaking with journalists, explained that the 1,800 bags of rice from the Federal Government had spoilt and would be returned to the source.

He, however, assured that the distribution of palliatives in the state will begin “in the next couple of days”.

“We have received a good number of products and added it together with the ones the state government is also putting its fund in to support what has been distributed by the citizens of the state. And we will be distributing this in the next couple of days.

“We received these items from the Federal Government via the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and we brought them to the warehouse. It was in the process of further inspection that we discovered that the rice had been infested with weevils.

“On that basis, we formed a committee to reinspect it again so that we will be sure of the situation. So, we think they are not in a consumable position for human beings at this particular point in time and, as such, such materials cannot be distributed as palliatives within the state,” Akande added.

He said the state government cannot afford to, in the process of trying to provide solution to a problem, create another problem for the people.