A letter from Eheber dated September 26, 2023, and addressed to the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Akwa Ibom State disclosed the return of the four bags of rice.
The Akwa Ibom State Chairman of the African Action Congress (AAC), Elder Utip Eheber, has returned four bags of rice given to the party as a palliative from President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government.
A letter from Eheber dated September 26, 2023, and addressed to the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Akwa Ibom State disclosed the return of the four bags of rice.\
He said that his decision to return the palliative aligned with the position of his political party that the palliative given out by the federal government is a deceitful and dubious way of playing on the intelligence of Nigerians.
"Following the stand of my party, African Action Congress (AAC) that the Palliative by the Federal Government of Nigeria is a ruse, deceitful and a dubious way of acting on the intelligence of Nigerians, I Elder Utip Eheber, hereby reject the rice offer of four (4) bags that was offered to the party.
"Kindly acknowledge receipt of the returned 4 bags of rice," the letter read.
In August, the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday said the Nigerian Government had approved N5 billion grant to be given to each of the 36 states of the federation to buy grains as well as five trucks of rice for each state as palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State said the approval of N5 billion and trucks of rice and grains were part of efforts to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on Nigerians, following the high cost of food.
He said, “The states are to purchase 100,000 bags of rice and beans among other items,” he said, adding that each state would also to receive five trucks of rice.